A Witch Awakens
by Professor Skrewt
Summary: Hermione's year before Hogwarts, as she prepares herself for entry into the magical world, has several adventures, deals with her own worries about going to Hogwarts, and convinces her loving but skeptical parents to let her go. Great reviews so far.
1. The Dentists' Daughter

**The Dentists' Daughter**

"Happy Birthday, honey!" were the first words Hermione Granger heard as she woke up on Wednesday, the 19th of September, 1990. It was her mother, interrupting a wonderful dream the newly eleven-year-old girl had been having. In the dream, she was in a magnificent library that had books on all sorts of strange subjects. She was just beginning to explore the section on magical transformation when she was awakened. If it had not been a school day, she might have finished her dream — and her birthday party would not have been delayed until the following Saturday.

"Oh, Mum, can't I sleep just a little longer? It _is_ my birthday, after all," implored Hermione.

"Nope. Rise and shine. Your dad's making your favorite breakfast, and you won't want to eat it cold, will you?" responded her mother, who hurried back to her bedroom to finish getting dressed herself.

Hermione yawned and stretched. It doesn't feel any different to be eleven, she thought, as she slowly got out of bed and wandered over to her closet to pick out clothes for the day. After pawing through several tops and a few pairs of jeans, she settled on a red top and brown jeans. The still-sleepy girl yawned again, thinking to herself that she should not have stayed up reading so late. She managed to get dressed in the top and jeans that she had chosen, and then picked up her hair brush and looked into her full-length mirror.

The girl who looked back at her was not short but she was not tall, either. She was not skinny and not fat, not terribly ugly or startlingly beautiful. In all respects the girl in the mirror looked, well, ordinary. Except for her hair and her teeth. Her hair was not blonde or auburn or ginger or black, not sleek or wavy, but brown and very bushy. Her teeth were also unusual, in that they were larger than average and stuck out a bit further than she would have liked. If I only had a magic wand, I would sort these teeth out, she thought to herself, and not have to get braces like Mum and Dad want. They were both dentists, so she did not expect to escape the braces for much longer.

Hermione made a valiant effort with the brush to force her hair into a semblance of normality, then headed for the kitchen, from which were wafting the wonderful smells of breakfast.

In the kitchen her dad, a man of medium height and build, was wearing an apron and humming contentedly as he cooked his specialty: buttermilk crepes with fresh blueberries, which Hermione had requested for her birthday. The hot crepes with whipped cream and Vermont maple syrup were her favorite breakfast. With dentists for parents, Hermione didn't get such a sweet breakfast often.

"Mmm, the crepes smell so good!" enthused Hermione. "I'm so hungry I could eat about ten!" she continued, as she took a seat at the breakfast table.

"We'll see about that!" replied Alfred Granger. "How about two to start with?" he asked, carefully placing two hot crepes on Hermione's plate. "There are blueberries in the bowl, butter in the butter dish, maple syrup in the pitcher, and whipped cream in that other bowl. Pour yourself some milk — it has calcium, which is ..."

"Important for healthy bones and teeth," Hermione finished for him. "Anyway, there's calcium in the whipped cream, isn't there?"

Hermione's mum came into the kitchen and took her seat next to Hermione. She was fairly tall for a woman, slender and fit. Hermione had always thought her elegant. Why, she even looked good when wearing her dentist costume, as Hermione liked to call the clothes her mother wore while tending to people's teeth.

"Those crepes smell delicious, Alfred," Harriet Granger said to her husband. "I'm glad that Hermione asked you to make them. I suppose one morning of indulgence will not negate 364 days of being careful about her diet."

"Quite right, Harriet," he answered, smiling at his wife.

"Oh, mum, look at all the healthful things I'm eating," said Hermione. "See, I've taken loads of blueberries and a big glass of milk."

Alfred Granger served his wife and himself the crepes that he had been keeping warm in the oven. How fortunate I am, he said to himself, to share my life with these two wonderful people. It's a pleasure to do something for them that they both enjoy. If only Hermione would not resist getting braces! After they came off and her teeth did not embarrass her any longer, she would be glad she had had braces, he thought. Her hair is a different matter. She has her mother's hair, and I think it looks great!

On Wednesdays her dad had to see the early patients, so her mum drove her to school. Harriet Granger had a pleasant manner that masked her inner drive to eradicate tooth decay in all of Britain, beginning with their own town of East Molar. Hermione was proud of both her parents, but she especially admired her mother's determination to better the lot of her fellow citizens through public advocacy.

Hermione liked going to school because she enjoyed learning new things, especially in math and science. She was especially fascinated by a book she had found in the library called _Powers of Ten_, which showed pictures of things ranging in size from subatomic particles to the whole universe. She wanted to understand how everything worked. She wondered why the sun shone so brightly. She wondered how caterpillars turned into butterflies. She wondered how airplanes could stay in the air. So many things seemed amazing, almost magical.

Hermione's day at East Molar Junior School began in the typical fashion. She put most of her books in her locker and chatted with her friends, Susie Adams and Meghan Murphy, about a new boy, Jason Pimberley, in their year. Susie and Meghan said he was cute, with wavy blonde hair, a ready smile, and a sly sense of humor, but Hermione thought he used his wit to make fun of people.

Hermione was a hall monitor, a responsibility she relished, since she really thought everyone should follow all the school rules, just as she did. For an eleven-year-old girl, she was more than a bit of a control freak.

"Hey, Michael," she said reprovingly, as one of the third-year students hurtled past her. "Slow down! You know there's no running in the halls. Save it for the playground."

A few minutes later, a couple of girls came around the corner from the cafeteria, laughing uproariously at something or other.

"Mildred! Samantha!" Hermione called out. "Would you please hold it down? Teachers are already in their classrooms, getting ready for the day. They don't need to be distracted by you lot!"

"Oh, Hermione," retorted Mildred, "You're such a busybody. Relax a bit, will you? We were just having a laugh about something my stupid brother did this morning."

Mildred's comment annoyed Hermione, but she realized that many people did think her too bossy for their liking. She tried not to annoy them, but when they broke the rules, it was her job to make them behave. At least, that's how she saw the situation.

The girls' first class was science. For all of September they had been studying astronomy. Their teacher, Mr. Flaska, was an enthusiastic older man and Hermione's favorite teacher. He had explained how ancient peoples first looked to the stars for guidance on when to plant their crops. He also told the class how astronomy differed from astrology, which consisted of superstitions that people had about using stars and planets to predict the future.

"If anybody offers to tell your fortune by consulting a horoscope, run the other way. You don't want their ignorance to rub off on you!" Mr. Flaska admonished them.

Hermione thought that was going a bit far. Some of her friends, like Meghan, liked to follow their horoscopes in the newspaper, but Meghan had never managed to convince Hermione to pay any attention to that part of the paper.

Today Mr. Flaska was telling the class about how stars are born, live, and die. Hermione was interested that the largest stars have the shortest lives and die in enormous explosions called supernovae.

"When a giant star explodes, most of its material is ejected into the space around it," said Mr. Flaska. "This material includes elements like carbon, oxygen, and iron. Almost all the elements in your body were formed in large stars and then scattered by their explosions. You are made of stardust."

"How romantic!" sighed Meghan. "I am made of stardust!"

"Mr. Flaska," said Hermione, raising her hand, "I read that even giant stars cannot form elements heavier than iron, since the iron nucleus is the most strongly held together. So where did the elements like uranium that are heavier than iron come from?"

"That is an excellent question, Hermione!" exclaimed Mr. Flaska. "The problem with fusing elements heavier than iron is that the reactions consume more energy than they release. However, in a supernova explosion there is a lot of energy available. The temperatures and pressures are so great that elements even heavier than iron can be formed by nuclear fusion. All of these elements are also part of the material flung into space by the explosion."

"So, Mr. Flaska," said Susie, "does any of this have to do with black holes?"

Questions like this were one reason that Hermione liked Susie so much. She was always making interesting connections between ideas she had heard.

"Oh, yes, Susie!" answered Mr. Flaska. "When the core of a giant star has run out of fuel, it cannot produce enough energy to resist the force of gravity and it collapses under its own weight. If the core is big enough, it may form a black hole, from which nothing, not even light, can escape."

After class was over, Hermione, Susie, and even Meghan were enthusiastically discussing what they had just learned about supernovae and black holes. Just then, Jason came out of the classroom, followed by a few of his friends, Buster, Kyle, and Mark. When he spotted the three girls, he began to strut a bit.

"Look, boys, it's Hermione, the bucktoothed wonder! Hey! Hermione! Your parents must be lousy dentists for you to have teeth like that!"

Hermione's face flushed and her eyes flashed. Her prominent teeth were the two things about which she was most self-conscious. "Jason, you're a walking blonde joke," she retorted contemptuously.

Her friends laughed nervously. Hermione's anger was growing. She really didn't like people insulting her parents, either. As Hermione glared at Jason, his turtleneck sweater suddenly began to shrink, getting tighter and tighter around his neck. His face turned blue, and he collapsed at the feet of his buddies.

This was not the first time that someone who had angered Hermione suffered a strange affliction, but every time it happened it frightened her. This time, as Jason lay motionless on the cold floor, Hermione was really scared. After a very tense minute or so, the sweater began to shrink back to its normal size and in a few more seconds Jason regained consciousness.

"What happened?" he asked his friends.

Buster said, "Hermione looked at you real funny, and then your sweater began to choke you!"

"There's something dangerously weird about Hermione," said Kyle.

"That's ridiculous!" Susie said, springing to Hermione's defense. "How could Hermione have made Jason's sweater shrink? I think he was faking it."

But Hermione knew that Jason was _not_ faking it. She had wanted to choke him, and the sweater had seemed to bend to her will. The incident bothered her for the rest of the school day, and she worried that Susie and Meghan were avoiding her.

After school that day, Hermione was waiting for her dad to pick her up when she saw him approaching in their family car. Someone was with him. This was most unusual. Hermione always looked forward to telling her mum or dad about the interesting things she had learned in school on their way home, and she was worried that whoever was in the car with her dad would interfere with her plan to talk with her dad about supernovae, nuclear synthesis, and black holes. She need not have worried. She would soon forget her plan.


	2. An Unexpected Visitor

**An Unexpected Visitor**

Alfred Granger eased his car to a halt where Hermione was standing. The girl noticed with annoyance that the stranger with her dad was sitting in her place in the front seat, so she had to get into the back seat of the car. After she fastened her seat belt, she looked up to see who the stranger was. The man had already turned around to look at her.

Her father said, "Professor Dumbledore, this is my daughter Hermione. Hermione, Professor Dumbledore has come to offer you a very unusual opportunity. You will also be interested to know that he has explained some of those mysterious things that have happened when you've been scared or angry."

Hermione barely registered her dad's words. She was mesmerized by Professor Dumbledore's long white hair and beard, his half-moon spectacles, his crooked nose, and especially his penetrating blue eyes. She had never seen anyone like him. What was this _opportunity_ he was offering her? How could he explain such strange things as Jason's choking? Was he some sort of scientist, perhaps a parapsychologist?

"I am most pleased to meet you, Miss Granger," said Professor Dumbledore in a very calm and gentle voice. His eyes crinkled at the corners, making him look like a tall, thin version of Santa Claus. Hermione's annoyance was quickly melting away, replaced by intense curiosity.

"Very nice to meet you, Professor Dumbledore," she replied. "I've read about professors. Do you teach at Oxford or Cambridge or some other famous place? If you're a professor in a university, why are you visiting me? I'm just in my fifth year in school. You don't want me for some sort of experiment, do you? I think it would be very interesting to be in an experiment. I've read all about famous experiments, like Newton's experiments with prisms. Newton was at Cambridge, you know. Are you from Cambridge?"

Dumbledore's smile widened as Hermione spoke. He seemed happy to meet such a vivacious, intelligent girl. "Well, you are certainly the kind of person I had hoped to find on my visit to your family, Miss Granger. We have much to discuss when we reach your home and can sit down with your parents to discuss the opportunity that your father mentioned."

Alfred Granger soon pulled the car into the driveway at their home.

"You operate this complicated conveyance very adroitly, Doctor Granger," said Dumbledore, nodding toward Alfred.

Everyone got out of the car. Dumbledore looked even taller standing up than he had while sitting in the car. Hermione also noticed that he was wearing a dark blue velvet suit, a light yellow shirt, and a matching blue tie with little stars that seemed to twinkle. Oddly, Hermione's dad was leading them quickly to the front door. Usually they went in the side door that led to the kitchen.

As Dumbledore entered the Grangers' home, Alfred Granger gestured him into the living room, where Harriet was waiting for them. Alfred had evidently warned his wife to expect company, since she had already put out tea for them. "Professor Dumbledore, this is my wife Harriet, Hermione's mother. Dear, this is Professor Dumbledore. Hermione, you had better come in here also. Let's all sit down, shall we?"

"I am honored to meet you, Mrs. Granger," said Dumbledore, with a bow.

"My mum is a dentist, just like my dad," piped up Hermione. "Shouldn't you call her 'Doctor' also, Professor?"

Dumbledore appeared startled for a moment, then smiled broadly and answered, "Why, then, I shall confuse everyone when I address 'Doctor Granger'. Would you mind if I called you 'Mr. Granger' and 'Mrs. Granger'?" asked Dumbledore, looking at Hermione's parents.

"That would be perfectly fine," replied the female Dr. Granger.

"Well, Professor Dumbledore, why don't you tell Hermione and her mother what you have already shared with me?" Alfred said to Dumbledore.

"Certainly, Mr. Granger," began Dumbledore. "Miss Granger, you asked where I am from. I shall answer your question now, but I expect my answer will only lead you all to have more questions, which I shall endeavor to answer as well."

He paused and examined the collection of tea bags that Harriet had put on the table. "Ah, Lemon Zinger — a delightful flavor! My compliments to the hostess."

Professor Dumbledore continued, "Miss Granger, I am Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I have come to offer you a place at that school. The details of the offer are contained in this letter."

Hermione took the envelope that Dumbledore handed to her and found three sheets of parchment and an envelope inside. She looked up at Dumbledore, her brow furrowed, and asked, "Are you a ... wizard, then? I thought that all those stories about witches and wizards were a load of rubbish!"

Dumbledore laughed, apparently enjoying Hermione's honest statement of her skepticism. It seemed as if he had expected this reaction from her.

"Yes, Miss Granger, I _am_ a wizard and you, I believe, are ... _a witch_."

"Really, Professor Dumbledore, that's a very peculiar thing for a man of learning to say," interjected Harriet. "I agree with Hermione: tales of witches and wizards are just stories for children. Alfred," she said, turning to her husband, "Surely you don't believe this nonsense."

"Well, my dear," said Alfred, "I suggest that you hear Professor Dumbledore out. He _has_ promised to answer all our questions."

"All right, that sounds reasonable. I don't suppose we would all be sitting here if the professor had not already convinced you that he's not a crackpot."

"Yes," said Hermione, "And I want to hear what he has to say about those weird things we have never been able to explain."

"What sort of weird things, Miss Granger?" asked Dumbledore. "I think the quickest way for me to convince you of the truth of what I have told you is to begin with your own experiences."

"Well," replied Hermione, "Just today at school a boy teased me about my front teeth. He said my parents must be lousy dentists. He made me very angry, and suddenly his sweater began to shrink, choking him. He turned blue, and then he fainted. I was really scared that I had caused the sweater to shrink, but luckily it soon grew back to its normal size and the boy came to. Other things like that have happened, but that's the most dramatic."

"Mr. and Mrs. Granger, do you have any explanation for Hermione's story?" asked Dumbledore.

The two dentists shook their heads and looked puzzled. They knew their daughter was very bright, but they did not believe that she had telekinetic powers.

"Miss Granger, can you intentionally do any 'strange' things that might convince your parents that you have, shall we say, special gifts?" asked Dumbledore.

"No, Professor. They happen only sometimes, when I'm upset about something."

"I see," responded Dumbledore, stroking his long white beard thoughtfully. "Perhaps I need to demonstrate a little magic that dentists would appreciate." With that, he reached into a pocket in his suit coat and pulled out a long, thin, and very old piece of wood. Its color and grain indicated that it was made of elder. "With this wand I will now slightly reduce the size of your daughter's upper incisors," Dumbledore informed Hermione's parents.

With a flick of his wand toward Hermione, Dumbledore muttered something that the Grangers did not catch. The effect was instantaneous: Hermione now had normal size teeth for the first time in her life. Her parents gasped.

Hermione felt her teeth, then jumped up to look at herself in the mirror in the hallway. She gave a squeal of delight. "Mum! Dad! Look at me! I won't need those braces you're always talking about!"

Hermione's mother and father looked at their daughter and then at Dumbledore. "If I had not seen her teeth shrink with my own eyes, I would not have believed it possible," said her mum. "Your demonstration makes me think that there is a whole world of which my husband and I were completely unaware. Can you tell us more about your world and how you have been able to keep it secret from us?"

Dumbledore smiled at them. "Ah, I see where Hermione gets her penetrating intellect. You have asked me the same question as your husband did an hour ago. Very well, I shall tell you about my world — the world into which I am inviting your daughter."

"What you must understand," Dumbledore began, "Is that the magical world exists within your world but is hidden from you by many enchantments. I could take you to Hogwarts Castle, for example, and you would see just an old ruin. The primary responsibility of the Ministry of Magic — yes, there is such a ministry — is to enforce our Statute of Secrecy, whose purpose is to protect witches and wizard from persecution by non-magical folk. You are aware, I am sure, of the many elderly women who were burned at the stake because they were suspected of being witches."

"Yes, we are," said Harriet Granger. "In fact, Joan Playle, an ancestor on my mother's side, was convicted of witchcraft in the sixteenth century. Her trial has always been regarded as a gross injustice in my family, when it has been discussed at all."

"Really!" said Dumbledore. "That's very interesting. Very interesting, indeed. Are you sure that she was _not_ a witch?"

"The only other stories I have heard about Aunt Joan," continued Harriet, "concerned her excellent cooking. She was supposed to be quite something with a kettle. She would search the forest for the tastiest herbs and fungi for her stews. After a dinner at her home everyone would sit around in a state of bliss for an hour or two. No one else in the village could prepare such a satisfying meal. Our family always thought that jealous neighbors must have accused her of witchcraft in order to avoid being shown up."

"Have you heard any stories of strange things happening around your aunt, then?" asked Dumbledore. "Things like Hermione has experienced?"

"Didn't you tell me about an argument that Joan and her husband got into after she caught him chatting up the village apothecary's daughter, when he was supposed to be buying a remedy for his cold?" piped up Alfred. "I thought the story was that, from that day on, he couldn't look at another woman without his head giving a violent twitch. Very odd, really. Maybe she _was_ a witch!"

"Well, anyway, that's just one example of a person who may — or may not — have had unusual abilities. Maybe she just knew a lot about mushrooms. Some fungi, after all, have powerful psychological effects, " observed Harriet.

"That's right!" exclaimed Hermione. "I've read about special mushrooms that Native American tribes have used for centuries in their religious rituals. They have visions and everything!"

"True, true," said Dumbledore, "The world is full of plants, animals, and even lifeless materials with special properties. For example, the right kind of wood combined with a feather from the tail of a particular kind of bird can produce a wand like mine, which, as you saw, has considerable power over the natural world. Of course the key ingredient is the magical power of the witch or wizard who wields the wand. Such power, like beauty or intelligence, is a gift that can produce unexpected and wonderful effects. In our world the ability to combine magical ingredients into useful potions is another highly-regarded skill. Joan Playle may have possessed such a skill and used it to her advantage in the kitchen. It is also quite likely that Hermione has inherited magical gifts that explain the strange things that have happened around her."

"Professor Dumbledore, what you have said makes a certain amount of sense," admitted Harriet. "I have never been satisfied with the explanations of Aunt Joan's abilities in the kitchen or the reasons given for the accusations against her. More to the point, I have been growing more and more worried about Hermione's experiences. If you are right, and she does have 'special gifts', then she will have to learn to control them or she will be in danger from people who are frightened by what she can do."

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore," said Alfred. "I agree with my wife. Is there any way that we can learn more about your world and especially about Hogwarts? We certainly can't send Hermione off to a place about which we know next to nothing."

"I'm glad you asked that," replied Dumbledore. "Yes, in fact there is a way I can tell you much more about the magical world. Would you like to accompany me to the British Museum?"

"Oh, good!" exclaimed Hermione. "The Museum is my favorite place in London, except for the British Library. Can I go, too?"

"Of course," said her father. "Let's get back into the car — unless Professor Dumbledore has a magic carpet."

"I would be delighted to ride in your marvelous automobile," said Dumbledore. "In my world, that is a rare treat."


	3. The British Museum

**The British Museum**

As the Grangers and Dumbledore drove to the British Museum, Hermione thought about what her parents and Professor Dumbledore had discussed. Could she really have magical gifts? Would that be a good thing or a bad thing? Would people fear and even hate her? With that Statute of Secrecy that Professor Dumbledore had mentioned, she would have to keep her magical powers hidden, even from her friends. What if someone saw her do magic? Would her friends desert her? Would she go to prison? This magic business seemed to Hermione to bring lots of problems with it.

In a few minutes the little party reached the museum. Alfred Granger let the others out at the Great Russell Street entrance and went to park the car. It was raining as Dumbledore escorted Harriet and Hermione into the museum, but somehow they stayed dry.

Alfred soon appeared, looking a bit soggy, and said, "Why are you so dry?"

Dumbledore just smiled and said, "We should examine this fine map I was given when we entered the museum. The items that I want to show you are in a restricted section of the Ruddock Gallery, which, as you know, houses the museum's Medieval European collection. Ah, here it is — Room 40. We should ride the museum's excellent lift to the upper floor."

Dumbledore led the way to the south lifts and soon they were walking into the Ruddock Gallery. Dumbledore seemed to know exactly where he was going. He wound his way past displays of chalices, reliquaries, chessmen, and other intriguing items, finally reaching an unmarked door with an old brass handle.

A passing guard said, "That door doesn't open. We think it's an old broom closet."

Dumbledore said, with his hand moving slightly in his pocket, "Why, thank you for saving us some time, my dear fellow!"

The man nodded, and his eyes glazed over for a moment. He slowly walked away, leaving the Grangers and Dumbledore alone.

Dumbledore turned the door knob and beckoned the others to follow him into a small, dimly-lit room containing shelves with old books, primitive chemical apparatus, and instruments of unclear purpose. Dumbledore closed the door behind them. "Yes, I think what you will see in the next few minutes will help you understand the magical world and its relationship to your own. Please sit down."

Hermione glanced quickly around the room. Had those four small chairs been there when they first entered? "Did anyone see those chairs a moment ago?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to alarm you, Miss Granger. I thought we would all be more comfortable with something to sit on," replied Dumbledore. The Grangers each took a seat.

"Where to begin? We may as well start with Hogwarts," Dumbledore continued. He went to one of the shelves and took down a large, heavy book bound in green leather. Its title was _Memories of Hogwarts_.

Dumbledore brought the book to where the Grangers were sitting and took a seat himself, facing his three curious guests. "In the headmaster's office at Hogwarts is a kind of scrapbook created over many centuries by headmasters of the school. This book," said Dumbledore, gesturing to the volume in his lap, "is a copy of that book. Whenever the headmaster puts a memory into the book in his office, that memory also appears in this copy. Let's explore a few of my own contributions."

"This sounds like fun!" exclaimed Hermione, moving her chair closer to Dumbledore's. " Her parents agreed.

"I must first warn you that this book is a little different from the books with which you are familiar," said Dumbledore. "You will find yourselves quite literally immersed in the recollections it contains. In one of these memories you will see and hear everything that I saw and heard, but no one in the memory will see or hear you. Most importantly, you cannot be harmed in any way while immersed in the memory. If you become frightened or wish to leave the memory for any reason, you just have to close your eyes tightly, focus on your desire to return to this time and place, and you will do so."

"You're sure we can get back quickly if we want to, then? asked Harriet.

"Absolutely!" Dumbledore assured her.

"How can we immerse ourselves in your memories? That doesn't seem possible," interjected Alfred.

"Yes, it will seem just like magic," replied Dumbledore, a twinkle in his eyes.

"I think you'd better get used to being amazed, Dad," said Hermione.

"All right, then. Is everyone ready?" asked Dumbledore.

The Grangers all nodded affirmatively, Hermione with enthusiasm, her parents a little cautiously.

"First I will take you to the castle grounds in a memory of mine from a particularly lovely spring about forty years ago, when I was still Professor of Transfiguration. You will see see a younger me, so don't be too surprised." Dumbledore turned to a page near the end of the book. "All you have to do is lean close to the page and you will enter the memory."

Alfred said, "I'd better go first." He leaned closer to the book and suddenly became quite still. Then he jerked back suddenly. "Whoa! That was astounding! Unbelievable, really! It was as if I were actually standing on a great lawn, looking up at a huge castle, with towers and everything. Just like you said, when I closed my eyes and willed myself back here, suddenly I was."

"Let's all lean in together, then," said Dumbledore.

They did so. If anyone had entered the room at that moment, they would have looked just like they were all looking at an interesting page in an old book. The Grangers' experience, though, was entirely different.

Hermione gasped, "Wow, the castle is huge! I've read about castles. This one looks as big as any I've seen. Is it old? I bet it's been here for centuries. Why is everyone wearing cloaks? Except that very tall man over there, of course. Is he a giant? He doesn't look fierce enough, though. Are there still giants in Britain?"

Dumbledore, smiling, said, "That's Hagrid, our gamekeeper. He is very large, isn't he? As for the cloaks, we ﬁnd that it's a tradition we enjoy. The students wear robes to class and cloaks to keep themselves warm out-of-doors."

"Is that you over there?" asked Alfred, gazing at a tall ﬁgure with auburn hair who was walking toward the castle entrance.

"Yes, that would be me. I am going into the Great Hall for my lunch."

"Why do we see you, if we are in your memory?" inquired Alfred.

"That is question under investigation in the Ministryʼs Department of Mysteries," answered Dumbledore. "The latest research indicates that, when a wizard extracts a memory, his mind constructs a copy that includes the wizard. A similar construction happens during the out-of-body experiences reported by the pilots of your fastest airplanes, I am told. The pilots report looking down at their planes from behind themselves during rapid acceleration."

"Ah, yes, Iʼve heard of that phenomenon," said Alfred.

Dumbledore led Hermione and her parents into the castle, following his younger self through a pair of large oak doors. No one seemed to notice them. They walked into a large hall, whose ceiling looked just as blue as the sky.

"Do all the ceilings at Hogwarts have clouds, then?" asked Harriet.

"No, only the Great Hall," replied Dumbledore. "It's bewitched to resemble the actual sky at every moment."

"Who's that fellow with the mop over there?" asked Alfred. "From the looks of his mouth, he needs a good dentist. Can't wizards take care of their own teeth?"

"That's our caretaker, Mr. Pilfer," answered Dumbledore. "Magic has its limitations, you know. Teeth are particularly tricky to deal with. The real problem, I suspect, is that Honeydukes Sweet Shop in the nearby village of Hogsmeade has a most excellent collection of candy on offer."

It was indeed lunch time at Hogwarts. Students began to enter the hall and sit at four long tables. When almost everyone was seated, great platters of food suddenly appeared up and down the length of each table. The platters were loaded with chicken, roast beef, and fried fish; corn, carrots, peas, and creamed onions; and freshly-baked bread, rolls, and muffins. The students quickly helped themselves to whatever struck their fancy and ate with gusto.

Harriet exclaimed, "Now that's a great way to serve a meal to hundreds of people. Who's your caterer?"

"Oh, we have our own kitchen staff, a very skillful and dedicated group of house elves."

"Elves?" asked Alfred in surprise. "You mean there are such creatures?"

"Yes," confirmed Dumbledore. "There are many kinds of creatures in the magical world that you probably think, or would have thought before today, are imaginary. There are elves, goblins, trolls, centaurs, giants, and even unicorns. Our herd of unicorns, Miss Granger, is a particular favorite with the female students in The Care of Magical Creatures course."

Hermione said to Dumbledore, "I would love to see a unicorn. I've read stories about them, of course, but I never for a moment thought they existed."

Hermione paused, suddenly wondering where the memory Dumbledore had gone. She spotted him sitting at the head table. "Professor, is that you sitting at the head table?"

"Why, yes, it is," replied Dumbledore. "I hope that my table manners meet with your approval."

After a few more minutes, the Dumbledore at the head table rose to his feet and strode to a door near the head table. The Grangers and the present-day Dumbledore followed him.

"We will now go to my afternoon Beginning Transfiguration class," said that Dumbledore. "You will see my students attempt to transform a coiled snake into a coiled rope. Pay particular attention to the color and texture of the rope, and especially to the end of the rope that was the snake's head."

They entered Dumbledore's old classroom, along with Dumbledore and his students from the memory. The students were talking animatedly among themselves and seemed to be looking forward to transforming their snakes.

One boy said, "It will be so neat to be able to transform an adder into a harmless rope!"

His friend retorted, "You'd better hope that you don't turn it into a cobra, which would be even worse!"

Harriet whispered to Dumbledore, "Isn't it a bit dangerous to have your students working with poisonous snakes, Professor Dumbledore? I don't want Hermione to go to a school where I will be worried constantly about her safety in her classes!"

Dumbledore replied calmly, "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, Mrs. Granger. Hogwarts teachers always take great care to protect their students from all harm. I myself made sure to apply a Lip Locker curse to each snake, so that it could not bare its fangs. In the unlikely event that a student becomes ill or is injured, we have an excellent hospital wing with a marvelous nurse, Madam Pomfrey."

By this time the memory Dumbledore was finishing his instructions to the students. As they began to wave their wands and mutter incantations at their snakes, Hermione was fascinated by the results they were getting. Some of the snakes seemed unaffected by their students' attempts to transfigure them. One girl was able to change the body of her snake so that it had the texture of a rope but not its color, and the head of the snake was quite unchanged. A boy transformed his snake into a thick noodle with a won-ton for a head. His friends were all laughing at his attempt. Another girl changed her snake into a rope, all right, but it was tangled up in itself. Only one student, a boy in the back of the class, had the color right, the texture right, the markings right, the coil right, and the head just a slight swelling in the end of the rope. However, two eyes were still glaring at him from that part of the rope.

"Well, class, some of you have done remarkably well in this exercise. I'm sure that with practice you will all become expert transfigurors," said the memory Dumbledore.

The classroom began to grow dark all around them.

"We are at the end of this memory, my friends," said Dumbledore. "We will now return to the Museum."

In a moment the Grangers and Dumbledore were sitting once again in their chairs in the little room off the Ruddock Gallery in the British Museum.

"Did you enjoy your visit?" asked Dumbledore.

"It was fascinating!" exclaimed Hermione. "If I go to Hogwarts, what subjects will I be able to study besides transfiguration? My favorite subjects are maths and science. Do Hogwarts students learn about algebra and astronomy and physics and chemistry?"

"Our students do study arithmancy, which is about the magical properties of numbers," began Dumbledore. "Potions classes deal with the combination of special ingredients to produce liquids with magical properties. Herbology is about the magical properties of plants. We teach classes in astronomy, but the subject concerns principally the movements and natures of the planets. The planets also come up in Divination, whose practitioners use the motions of the planets to make predictions about the future."

"But that sounds like astrology!" exclaimed Hermione. "Mr. Flaska, my science teacher, warned the class against taking astrology seriously."

"I sympathize with Mr. Flaska, Miss Granger, I must admit," said Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore," began Alfred, "it sounds as if Hermione would no longer be learning the subjects required for her to have a career in science or medicine, which has been her ambition from an early age. What do Hogwarts students _do_ after they graduate?"

"Another excellent question, Mr. Granger," replied Dumbledore. "Our graduates often go to work in magical enterprises, such as companies that make broomsticks for flying or package ingredients for potions. A few join the Ministry of Magic, in such areas as magical law enforcement. Even fewer have the privilege of teaching at Hogwarts."

"Where would a graduate interested in magical research go?" asked Harriet.

"The Ministry of Magic has a Department of Mysteries that conducts research in magic," answered Dumbledore.

"Are witches and wizards inventing new magic, then?" asked Hermione.

"Oh, yes!" responded Dumbledore enthusiastically. "I myself have done research in alchemy. One of my own claims to fame, if I may say so, is that I found several new uses for dragon's blood."

"Hogwarts sounds like a place with loads of interesting things to learn, Professor," said Hermione. "Do I really have to wait until next September to start?"

"Hold on, Hermione," said her father. "Don't let the excitement of sharing Professor Dumbledore's memory make you forget that your mother and I have not yet agreed that your going to Hogwarts is such a good idea."

"Oh, Dad, Mum, please let me go. The kids seemed to be having a great time and learning some fascinating things," cried Hermione, "and I'll be able to learn how to control the strange things that happen when I get angry. I'm afraid that I might really hurt someone if I don't get some help, and who could help me with a thing like that?"

"Well, Hermione, I think that your father and I should take you to see Dr. Fredericks. Maybe he will help us sort through what we have seen and heard today."

"That sounds like an excellent idea!" interjected Dumbledore. "There is just one more piece of business that I must attend to now. I have shown you all a good deal about the magical world, more than is normally allowed under the Statute of Secrecy. However, as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot I inserted into the Statute an exemption for actions taken for a greater good. Since meeting Hermione I have satisfied myself that she is such a promising student that I should do all in my power to convince you and her that coming to Hogwarts would be the best course for her. Doing so would give her the knowledge to control her powers and the opportunity to make a great contribution to the magical world. Yet, to protect the magical world from being discovered by less well-meaning people than you, I must now restore Hermione's teeth to their original size..."

"No, don't do that!" screamed Hermione, as her teeth began grow longer.

"...and I must also arrange it so that you will be able to discuss your experiences today among yourselves but not with anyone who does not already know about the magical world." Dumbledore moved his hand slightly in his pocket. The Grangers jerked their heads and blinked their eyes, as if in response.

"Really, Professor Dumbledore, how can you expect us to trust you, if you can manipulate our minds so profoundly?" asked Alfred Granger.

"Your memories will not be affected, only your ability to divulge them in a way that would harm the magical world," replied Dumbledore. "It may take you a while to accept the necessity of this protection. In the meantime, why don't you take Hermione to Dr. Fredericks, as you suggested? Perhaps he will be able to help you make up your minds."

"Yes, we certainly will," said Harriet. "I just hope that he doesn't think we are insane for thinking that Hermione can do such strange things as strangle someone without laying a hand on him."

"Oh, I think Don Fredericks will be sympathetic to Hermione's situation," said Alfred. "He's never been judgmental with us, and he seems curious enough to be interested in strange symptoms. You know, he may be the ideal person to discuss this whole business with. I seem to remember his telling me that a distant relative of his got into trouble for dabbling in alchemy."

"Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione seriously, "I really appreciate your coming to visit me and everything."

"I hope that you can wait a little while for us to make up our minds about Hermione's going to Hogwarts," said Harriet.

"Mrs. Granger, you have quite a while before you have to decide whether Hermione should accept a place at Hogwarts," replied Dumbledore. "I trust that you will make good use of it. When you all have made your decision, just reply using the form and envelope I gave Hermione. You may mail it in the normal way, except that you do not need to put any stamps on the envelope. There are wizards working in the postal service who deal with all letters with insufficient postage or unknown addresses.

"And now, Miss Granger, Doctors Granger, I must leave you and return to my school. I will not need a ride. It has been a very great pleasure to meet you all," said Dumbledore, and with that, he turned on the spot and vanished.

"Where did he go?" exclaimed Hermione.

"How did he disappear like that?" said Alfred.

"What do we do now?" asked Harriet.

"This has been an amazing afternoon!" exclaimed Alfred. "Let's make an appointment with Dr. Fredericks when we get home," said Alfred. "I really think he'll be able to help us deal with Hermione's situation. We probably should have discussed her experiences with him years ago."

"Yes, I agree," replied Harriet. "We have so much to think about now. "

Hermione was glad that her parents were trying to do what they thought best for her. Even though she really wanted to go to Hogwarts, she was beginning to understand that it would be a very different place from what she was used to, and that scared her a bit.

"I'll go get the car," said Alfred. "You ladies wait for me at the Great Russell Street entrance, where we came in."

"I hope it's stopped raining. Without the good professor, we may get wet," said Harriet.

All Hermione could talk about on the way home was Dumbledore and their visit to Hogwarts in Dumbledore's memory. The more she talked, the more excited she got about going to Hogwarts. Her parents were becoming concerned that any other decision would be very difficult for her to accept.

When the Grangers got home, Alfred made an appointment with Dr. Fredericks for the following Monday.


	4. A Visit to the Doctor

**A Visit to the Doctor**

Hermione had a difficult time paying attention in her classes for the rest of the week, as she thought about Dumbledore's visit and his Hogwarts memory. Dumbledore seemed like a very kind man, very calm, and very wise, and Hogwarts seemed like a place where she could learn many interesting subjects. She wished she had been able to visit other classes besides transfiguration. Hermione was also a little worried about her appointment with Dr. Fredericks. What if he thought she was crazy, or worse, evil?

When Monday came at last, Hermione's worries and excitement increased. After school, when her parents picked her up, she was in a right frantic state.

"What if Dr. Fredericks says we all imagined Dumbledore's visit? What if he says Hogwarts sounds like a devilish place?" whined Hermione.

"Honey, just calm down. I'm sure that he will be very sympathetic and helpful," said her mum, trying to reassure her, as they drove to Dr. Frederick's office.

Dr. Donald Fredericks was waiting for them when they arrived. "Do come in. It's good to see you all again," he said welcomingly. Dr. Fredericks was a good bit older than Hermione's parents, but not nearly so old as Professor Dumbledore, and his white hair was much, much shorter.

Hermione relaxed a little. Dr. Fredericks had always made her feel comfortable, in the same way that Dumbledore had, by being very calm and kind to her.

"Well, Alfred, you said on the phone that Hermione had had some disturbing experiences that you all needed to discuss with me. Why don't we sit down and talk about them?" They followed him into his study.

"Hermione, please tell me what's bothering you," said the doctor.

"Oh, Dr. Fredericks," she began, "Sometimes when I get upset or angry, strange things happen around me. Just last week a boy in my school nearly choked to death after he teased me about my teeth and insulted my parents and I got really angry with him."

"Please tell me exactly what happened when you got angry, Hermione," said Dr. Fredericks.

"Well, his sweater began to shrink around his neck and his face turned blue and he fainted. It was awful!"

"Are you sure that his sweater shrank?"

"Oh, yes, indeed. It was weird. I thought for a moment, when it first started to get smaller, that he had worn an old sweater that didn't fit anymore, but then it got smaller and smaller, and its bottom rose up his chest."

"I see," replied the doctor. "You obviously have acute powers of observation to notice such details in a crisis like that."

"Professor Dumbledore was very interested in the sweater shrinking also," Hermione continued. She stopped talking and looked suddenly at her parents, who were staring at her with their mouths open.

"I didn't think we could talk about him," she said in astonishment. Her parents nodded.

"Have you met Dumbledore?" asked Dr. Fredericks.

"What? How do you know about Dumbledore?" demanded Harriet.

"My father and mother met at Hogwarts," said Dr. Fredericks. "They were extremely disappointed when I didn't show any magical talent. You see, I am what is known in the magical world as a Squib."

"Good grief, Don! I knew about the alchemist, but I had no idea your family tree had witches and wizards in it. You seem so ... _normal_, and too intelligent to believe in a lot of hocus-pocus stuff," said Alfred.

"When it became obvious to my parents that I was not going to be getting a Hogwarts letter, they made sure I got the best education they could afford. I did very well in my Muggle school and eventually went to medical school and became a physician."

"What's a Muggle school?" asked Hermione.

"Oh," laughed Dr. Fredericks, "I guess you haven't learned much magical jargon yet, Hermione. Muggles are non-magical people, at least that's what they are called in the wizarding world. But before we go any further, am I to assume that you have received your letter of admission to Hogwarts?"

"Yes, I have. Professor Dumbledore brought it last Wednesday," replied Hermione.

"What can you tell us about Dumbledore and Hogwarts, Don?" persisted Harriet.

"Quite a bit, for someone who was never a student there," answered the doctor. "Dumbledore is the greatest wizard alive today. He is famous for defeating the dark wizard Grindlewald in a duel in 1945 and for discovering the twelve uses of dragon's blood. Dumbledore may be the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. As for Hogwarts, the school was founded over a thousand years ago, so it is older than Oxford and Cambridge. Its four founders were the greatest witches and wizards of their time, and their mission was to pass along magical knowledge to future generations. The four house of Hogwarts are named after these founders: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin.

"My father was in Hufflepuff and my mother was in Ravenclaw. They met in Potions class when he accidentally sneezed into her cauldron, causing her Vibration Libation to boil over with a green foam that covered the whole table at which they were working, thus setting the table to rattling violently and lurching around the dungeon. Everyone laughed, including my future mum and dad. Mum did a Finite charm, halting the table long enough for their teacher to apply Calming Salve to the table. Dad was so thankful for her quick action that he gave her a big hug and never really let go."

"That's a charming story, Don," said Harriet, "but what I want to know is whether Hogwarts would be a safe, caring place for Hermione, yet still challenge her to develop her mind and her talents. What will happen if Hogwarts turns out not to be the right place for her? What future in our world will she be giving up if she enters the magical world?"

"I understand your concerns, Harriet. Of course young people will always be getting into mischief, but Hogwarts has strict rules about when and how magic is to be used. For example, students are not allowed to do magic in the corridors. The teachers are very concerned about student safety. Also, there is the system of prefects — older students who are responsible for the enforcement of school rules among all the students."

"That sounds good, as far as it goes, but what about positive incentives for the students to follow the rules and not abuse each other with hexes and curses?" asked Harriet.

"The competition for the House Cup each year provides an additional reason for the students to behave themselves," answered Dr. Fredericks. "The winner of the House Cup is the house with the most points. Students earn points for their houses by performing especially well in class and doing other good deeds, and they can lose points for their houses by misbehaving. Thus there is considerable peer pressure on the students to follow the rules."

"How well does this system work?" asked Alfred.

"Pretty well, I would say. My parents said that they always felt reasonably safe while at Hogwarts. They would have sent me there — if I had been admitted," answered Dr. Fredericks, a little sadly.

"How good a school is Hogwarts?" inquired Hermione. "Do the kids study literature, history, maths, and science, or only magical subjects like the ones Professor Dumbledore told us about?"

"Only magical subjects. No literature, I'm afraid, except for Ancient Runes, but there is History of Magic. The Arithmancy course involves numbers, but is very different from the arithmetic that you learn in Muggle schools," replied Dr. Fredericks. "The Potions course is somewhat like chemistry, in that it involves mixing ingredient to produce compounds with particular properties. You would learn to brew some very powerful liquids, like love potions and sleeping draughts. Advanced students even learn to make Polyjuice Potion, which enables one to assume the appearance of someone else for an hour."

"Those potions sound a bit dodgy!" Harriet exclaimed.

"Yeah," agreed Alfred. "Why can't they learn to make useful potions, like a mouthwash to prevent gum disease and tooth decay? You should have seen the condition of the caretaker's mouth at Hogwarts!"

"I've wondered that myself, Alfred," replied Dr. Fredericks.

"What are the other courses, Dr. Fredericks?" persisted Hermione.

"Oh, right. Let me go on, then," said the doctor. "The Astronomy course is rather similar to its counterpart in Muggle schools. Divination covers astrology, palmistry, and other means of foretelling the future, and is pretty much a joke around Hogwarts. Charms, however, is a solid course that teaches students to perform real magic, such as making objects fly, and of course there is Transfiguration."

"Oh, Dr. Fredericks, guess what! Using a book called _Memories of Hogwarts, _Professor Dumbledore led us into one of his memories, " said Hermione, suddenly excited. "We got to visit Hogwarts, including his Transfiguration class, and watch the students turn snakes into ropes."

"Oh, really?" responded the doctor. "I've heard of that book but I've never had an opportunity to get into it. You're a lucky girl, Hermione. Dumbledore must expect you to have a great career in magic, to visit you personally, instead of sending one of his teachers."

"Well, I'm worried that Hermione would not be learning subjects that would enable her to function in our world, in case this magic business doesn't work out," said Harriet. "Moreover, she has always been interested in science and has shown a real aptitude for it. Alfred and I have always assumed that she would finish school, go on to university, and make a career for herself as a scientist or perhaps as a doctor like you. Even if the magical world is as real as it now appears to be, she would be making a great sacrifice to abandon a career in science or medicine. Think how much good she could do in the world, with a mind like hers."

"What sort of life do you want to have, Hermione?" asked Dr. Fredericks.

"Well, I _am_ very interested in science, Dr. Fredericks," replied Hermione, "and I _do_ want to help make the world a better place, like you and my mum and dad. However, if magic is real, maybe I can use magic and science _together_ to improve the lives of both Muggles and wizards. I could even study science during the summers between years at Hogwarts. If I don't go to Hogwarts, I may never be able to control my magic and I may do more harm than good in the world."

"Honey, we all want what's best for you," said Harriet, her eyes suddenly filling with tears. "I just wish I knew what that is. Don, what do you think?"

"Hermione is a very bright girl, Harriet. However, she clearly has abilities that she cannot control, that frighten her, and that may harm others. What she needs now, I believe, is guidance that she cannot get in our world," Dr. Fredericks stated firmly.

"You may be right, Don," said Harriet.

"Yes," agreed Alfred. "Thanks very much for helping us understand Hermione's situation and the opportunity that Hogwarts has offered her."

"Does that mean I can go?" exclaimed Hermione. "Mum? Dad? Can I? Please?"

"Maybe," answered her father. "Let's sleep on it, and talk about it tomorrow."

"That's a good idea," opined Dr. Fredericks. "Let your subconscious minds mull it over. You'll soon know what the right decision is."

The conversation over, Dr. Fredericks showed the Grangers to the door, and the family drove home, each lost in his or her own thoughts.


	5. Bookworm Heaven

**Bookworm Heaven**

For the next several days the Grangers discussed their visits with Dumbledore and Fredericks. The past week had been interesting but very disorienting for all three of them. Alfred and Harriet, as dentists, had had extensive training in science, so accepting the reality of a magical world was difficult for them. They also worried about Hermione's future — the career that she might never have in their world, the kind of life she might have in the wizarding world. Hermione, of course, was relieved to have at last an explanation for the strange things that sometimes happened around her. She was less worried about having to choose between magic and science, since she hoped that she would be able to combine them.

In the end it was Hermione whose reasoning convinced her parents that Hogwarts was the place for her — at least for a year. Hermione was already so far ahead in her classes at school that her parents had been thinking about having her skip a grade. She took advantage of that fact in pressing her case.

"Mum, Dad, why don't I try Hogwarts for a year? If it doesn't work out as we hope it will, I can still go right into the grade that you said I should be in next year anyway. The only difference is that I would take a gap year at Hogwarts."

"Harriet, that sounds like a reasonable proposal to me," said Alfred. "We could let Hermione go to Hogwarts for a year and then, after her first year, we can re-evaluate the situation."

"I'm willing to make that our tentative decision," said Harriet, "but I want to learn more about the magical world and about Hogwarts before we make a final decision, even for just next year. We can't keep taking Dr. Fredericks' time like we did on Monday. We'll have to investigate for ourselves."

"I have an idea!" exclaimed Hermione. "According to my Hogwarts letter, there's this place called 'Diagon Alley', where I can get all my books and supplies for school. Let's go exploring there. The letter explains how to get to Diagon Alley. The entrance is behind a pub called 'The Leaky Cauldron' on Charing Cross Road in London. I'll be able to see the pub but you won't. I'll be able to lead you inside, though. When can we visit Diagon Alley?"

"How about Saturday?" replied her father.

"Fine!" said Hermione. "Want to come, Mum?"

"I wouldn't miss it," said Harriet. "I wonder if there's a store there that sells self-cleaning pots and pans."

"Or seed for self-mowing lawns!" mused Alfred.

Saturday came eventually, not without some urging from Hermione, and about 3 o'clock that afternoon the Grangers set off for The Leaky Cauldron. As they drove along Charing Cross Road, Hermione was staring hard out of the car window, looking for the pub that hid the gateway to her future. At last she spotted its inconspicuous sign and told her parents that it was between "that shabby old book store and that run-down record shop."

"Oh, I must have missed it," said Harriet quizzically.

They found a parking place and headed back toward the pub on foot.

"Here it is," said Hermione, gesturing toward a dark, weathered door. "Let's go inside. Oh, I'm so excited!"

They opened the door and entered the pub, which was dark and smelled of smoke and ale. Harriet and Alfred stared around at the strangely-dressed men and women sitting at the tables. Alfred felt particularly out-of-place in his plaid sweater and argyle socks. Harriet was mostly interested in the strange hats that everyone seemed to be wearing. Hermione paid scant attention to the pub's patrons, so eager was she to get to Diagon Alley. She led her mum and dad toward the rear of the main room, where she found the door she was looking for. She pulled the door open and went out, followed by her parents.

The Grangers found themselves in a small courtyard formed by the rear of the pub and a high brick wall. Hermione quickly tapped some bricks in the wall, just as the Hogwarts letter had instructed her to do, and suddenly the bricks began to rearrange themselves into an archway through which they could see people in colorful cloaks, hats, and other exotic clothing entering and leaving a variety of shops.

"Oh, my!" murmured Harriet. "This _is_ a peculiar place. It looks like the set of a Dickens movie! Why don't we find a nice, quiet book shop and sit down while we plan our visit?"

"Good idea," said her husband. "Maybe we can get a cup of tea while we get our bearings."

"This place is amazing!" exclaimed Hermione. "Let's find Flourish and Blotts — that's the book shop that my letter mentioned. Professor Dumbledore also gave me a list of books to get, and since I will have so much time before I leave for Hogwarts I want to buy some other books as well."

"Judging from the sign, that's Flourish and Blotts just over there. Let's go," said Alfred. "But let's not buy all your books today. It would be better to get a few books that will give us more information about the magical world in general."

The Grangers walked a short distance down the alley and entered the shop.

Hermione hurried up to the sales clerk and said, "I just got my letter from Hogwarts and I've come to buy some books. Here is the list that came in the letter, but since I won't be going to Hogwarts until next September, I mostly want books about the history of the magical world. Would you please help me find some?"

"Certainly, Miss, uh..." began the clerk, peering at her through a very strong pair of spectacles.

"Granger, sir. My name is Hermione Granger. These are my parents."

"Delighted to meet you all. I am Libphilius Thicklens," responded the clerk. "Let's start with one of your text books, _A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot, just over there," said Mr. Thicklens, pointing to an area of the store that seemed to have been plundered recently by Hogwarts students.

Hermione retrieved the book that the clerk had indicated.

"While we're in the text book section," Mr. Thicklens continued, "you should get _Magical Theory _by Adalbert Waffling, there by the window. It will give you a better idea of what magic is all about."

"Do you know the difference between theory and practice, my dear?" he suddenly interjected. "No? In theory there _is_ no difference! Ha! Put that in your cauldron and boil it, eh?

"Now let's go over to the children's history section and see what other books we can find for you," said Mr. Thicklens.

"But Mr. Thicklens," I'm already reading books from the adult section in the British Library. Can't you find me some books in your adult history section?"

"Certainly, Miss Granger. Come right this way." The clerk walked over to the section of the shop with a sign that read "Magical History".

Hermione followed him while she thumbed through Bathilda Bagshot's book.

"Mr. Thicklens," she said, "I, well, I only just found out that I'm a witch, and I'm sure that I've missed so much, growing up in the Muggle world. Miss Bagshot's book looks like it only covers magical history through the Nineteenth Century. Can you recommend some books about more recent events in the wizarding world?"

Her parents both nodded, as Thicklens glanced inquiringly in their direction.

"You will certainly want _Hogwarts: A History_, since you are going to be there for seven years."

"We'll see about that," said Harriet. "Hermione is going to take one year at a time. This magic business is so new to our family. I hope you understand our caution."

"Certainly, madam," replied Thicklens.

"Oh, but I do want to read _Hogwarts: A History_, Mum. Don't you and Dad want to learn about Hogwarts, too?" Hermione said.

"I agree with Hermione, Harriet," said Alfred. "We'll get that history of Hogwarts, Mr. Thicklens."

"Good," replied Thicklens. "Now, Miss Granger," he went on, "here are three books that will bring you up to speed with your classmates. I daresay not even the so-called pure-bloods will know as much as you about recent events in the magical world by the time you get to Hogwarts if you read these books: _Modern Magical History_, _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_, and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_. I expect that, like most boys and girls your age, you will be most interested in the story of how Harry Potter conquered He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named._"_

"He who what?" interjected Alfred.

"He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," said Thicklens. "Even now I do not like to say his name. He was the greatest dark wizard of modern times. Many people died during his reign of terror."

"Who is Harry Potter?" asked Hermione.

"He is a boy about your age. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed Harry's parents and then tried to kill Harry, who was just a toddler, but Harry got the better of him. Nobody knows how it happened, but little Harry Potter is known throughout the magical world as The Boy Who Lived. It's quite an exciting story, really."

"Well, I'll make sure to read all about Harry, then," promised Hermione. "If he is about my age, maybe he'll be starting at Hogwarts, too."

"I don't know about that," said Thicklens. "Headmaster Dumbledore sent Harry Potter off to live with his Muggle relatives and we've seen very little of him since then. I've even heard that his relatives are very anti-magic. I hate to think how they may be treating him."

"We would love to talk with you longer, Mr. Thicklens," said Harriet, "but we really must be going. Can we pay for these books with English pounds?"

"Usually we take only wizard money," said Thicklens, "but for Muggle parents of new Hogwarts students we make an exception. The goblins of Gringotts Bank have ways of exchanging pounds for Galleons."

The Grangers completed their purchase and turned to leave. Hermione tried to lift the bag of six books they had bought, but it was too heavy for her to manage easily. Libphilius Thicklens took pity on her and said, "Here, let me lighten your burden a bit," as he took out his wand and waved it over the bag. The bag suddenly did not seem as heavy as before, and Hermione easily lifted it from the counter. The Grangers left the shop.

Hermione turned around as they left and said, "Thank you ever so much, Mr. Thicklens. You were very helpful. I can't wait to start reading my new books."

"I'm very happy to have served you, Miss Granger. It's not often that I meet a young student who is such an eager reader," replied the clerk, who then went back inside the shop and shut the door.

Hermione and her parents wondered what they should do next. Since they didn't want to be carrying even their lighter bag around with them, they decided to go back to their car.

As they reached the car, Harriet said, "I'm tired! It's been a long day, beginning with doing the laundry and shopping for groceries this morning. Being in such a strange world has worn me out. It's worse than Christmas shopping. Let's just go home."

"Oh, no! I had a wonderful time! Let's go back and visit some other shops," Hermione urged her parents.

"No, Hermione, not today. Your mother and I are both tired. We'll bring you back again soon. OK?"

"Well, all right, if you promise," said Hermione.

"I promise," replied her father.

As they drove home, Hermione was already beginning to pore over her new books.


	6. Who Is Harry Potter?

**A Witch Awakens**

**by Professor Skrewt**

**Who Is Harry Potter?**

Hermione was eager to learn all she could about the world in which she would soon be living. She knew the next few months would be very interesting, between reading about Hogwarts and visiting the other shops in Diagon Alley. She especially wanted to find out about this Harry Potter boy. If he was in fact going to be her classmate, she certainly did not want to be the only one at Hogwarts who didn't know his story.

For the following month Hermione used every spare moment to read about Hogwarts, the magical world in general, and Harry Potter in particular. Her parents, though, insisted that she finish her school work before she resumed her explorations each evening.

"Hermione," her mother said warningly, "You have to do well in your classes this year, or we may not let you go to Hogwarts next year."

"I will, Mum," promised Hermione. "I'm still interested in loads of things at school."

Hermione was as good as her word, for she continued to get top marks on all her tests. She was turning out to be particularly good at mathematics and science.

"Hermione, have you thought about entering the Young Scientists and Engineers competition?" Mr. Flaska, her science teacher, had asked her. "We could talk about projects that might interest you. Winning a prize might even help you get a scholarship for college."

"Sorry, Mr. Flaska," Hermione replied. "I have so much to do outside school these days that I don't really have time for a science fair." In truth, her time and energy were increasingly devoted to finding out all she could witches, wizards, and all manner of strange creatures — not the sort of subjects that would impress the judges at a science fair.

One evening in October Hermione was reading about the evil wizard Lord Voldemort in _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_.

"Mum! Dad!" Hermione shouted to her parents. "I've just been reading about a really evil wizard, Lord Voldemort. That's the real name of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named that Mr. Thicklens told us about in Flourish and Blotts. I'm so glad that Voldemort finally disappeared! He was awful! He and his followers were trying to establish wizard rule over everyone. They tortured and killed lots of people, especially people like us."

"That's awful!" responded her mother. "I'm glad that little Harry finished him off long before your arrival at Hogwarts."

"Voldemort's followers were called the Death Eaters. They were more like Death _Dealers_!" continued Hermione. "They sound a lot like the Nazis."

"Really?" asked her father. "Were they racists? Did they have concentration camps?"

"I don't know about the concentration camps," answered Hermione, "but I do know that they thought only pure-bloods should be allowed to do magic."

"Pure bloods?" asked Alfred.

"People from all-magical families," clarified Hermione. "The Death Eaters attacked people with magical abilities from non-magical families, people like me. Voldemort's followers called them 'Mudbloods'.The Death Eaters claimed that they had gotten their skills by theft and that they had even stolen their wands from pure-bloods."

"That's awful!" said Harriet.

"The Death Eaters even went after people with a single Muggle parent. That's a bit strange, since Voldemort himself had only one magical parent," continued Hermione. "They agreed with Hogwarts' founder Salazar Slytherin that only pure-blood kids should be admitted to the school."

"I guess that proves that the wizarding world has bad characters, just like our world," opined Alfred. "It's a good thing that Voldemort and the Death Eaters were defeated."

"Yes," agreed Hermione, "or I would not have been able to go to Hogwarts."

"And you would be in danger from the Death Eaters yourself," added her mother. "What became of the Death Eaters, anyway? Were they all rounded up after Voldemort had gone?"

"From what I've read, some Death Eaters were captured or killed by Ministry of Magic aurors," said Hermione.

"Or-ors?" asked her father.

"A-u-r-o-r-s", Hermiones informed him. "The aurors are the Ministry employees who track down dark wizards."

"I see," said Alfred. "Go on."

"Other Death Eaters said they had been forced by the Imperius Curse to follow Voldemort's orders. Some of them were tried and released, but many were convicted and sent to the wizard prison, Azkaban," Hermione told her mum and dad.

"What exactly happened to Voldemort himself? Didn't the Ministry find his body," said Harriet.

"According to _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, _James Potter's body was found first. It was on the floor near the front door," said Hermione. "He had apparently tried to stop Voldemort but had not been carrying his wand when Voldemort attacked them. The house upstairs was a wreck. The door to Harry's bedroom was torn off its hinges. The windows in all the rooms were blown out. The ceiling and the roof above Harry's room were heavily damaged. Voldemort's body was found upstairs, just inside the door to Harry's room. Lily Potter's body was on the floor next to Harry's cot," replied Hermione. "Poor little Harry! He was wailing and terrified when he was found by Hagrid, that tall man we saw in Dumbledore's memory, and his forehead was bleeding from a lightning-shaped wound."

"It sounds like Voldemort is finished, then," concluded Harriet.

"Yes, the books I've been reading say he's gone for good," agreed Hermione. "Apparently he used the killing curse, Avada Kedavra, and it backfired on him. At least, that's what it looked like to Hagrid, who found the bodies. There are hints in the books that Dumbledore himself is still worried about Voldemort's possible return, though. I wish we had known to ask him about Voldemort."

"What else have you found out about little Harry?" Hermione's mum asked her.

"Well, Hagrid took Harry to live with his mother's sister and her husband and son. Dumbledore arranged it all. He claimed that it was for Harry's own good to be brought up away from the wizarding world, in which he was so famous," Hermione said.

"I'm wondering how the Potter kid survived Voldemort's attack and why Voldemort's curse rebounded on Voldemort himself," said Hermione's dad.

"That's what everybody wants to know!" replied Hermione. "Nobody had ever survived the Avada Kedavra before Harry Potter. Some people think he must be a powerful wizard himself, maybe even a dark wizard. Other people say his mother must have worked some powerful magic, since her body was found right next to Harry's cot."

"Maybe you can ask Harry how he did it if he's in your class at Hogwarts," suggested Alfred.

"No way, Dad!" asserted Hermione. "I bet he'll soon be right tired of people staring at him and badgering him about what happened."

"Hermione is right," added Harriet, supportively. "If she wants to be friends with Harry Potter, she should respect his privacy. Suddenly being a celebrity at such a young age will probably be quite disorienting for him."

Hermione went back to reading her book, but she couldn't help wondering whether Harry Potter would be in her class at Hogwarts and whether they would be friends. "I hope he's nice," though Hermione, "and not full of himself like that awful Jason!"


	7. The Wand Chooses the Witch

**A Witch Awakens**

**by Professor Skrewt**

**The Wand Chooses the Witch**

As October faded into November Hermione was finishing the last of her five magical history books and had also read most of _Magical Theory_. This last book described a number of spells, so Hermione tried doing them with various pieces of wood that she had found. Unfortunately, the old conductor's baton that she had found at school was hopeless as a wand. Wooden dowel rods from her father's workshop were no better. Over and over again Hermione studied the pictures in _Magical Theory_, carefully following the diagrams of witches and wizards using their wands to cast spells, but still nothing remarkable happened. At last she realized that she needed a real wand.

"Mum, when can we go back to Diagon Alley?" Hermione finally asked her mother one evening after a particularly frustrating session with her Muggle wands. "I need to get a wand from Ollivander's in order to practice spells. These sticks I've been trying are rubbish for doing magic."

"How about going on Guy Fawkes Day?" replied Harriet.

"OK. Thanks, Mum. I'm really looking forward to using a true witch's wand," said Hermione.

At last it was Guy Fawkes Day. Hermione couldn't wait to get her wand.

"Where shall we go first?" Harriet asked her daughter as they entered Diagon Alley for the second time.

"We're close to Gringotts and we may need money for my wand, so let's go there," replied Hermione.

Harriet agreed, so they walked the short distance to Gringotts and went inside. Harriet caught her breath as she looked around. The building was much bigger inside than it had looked from the outside, and there were strange-looking little fellows serving customers at a long row of teller windows.

"What are those...those creatures?" Harriet whispered to Hermione.

"Those are goblins," answered Hermione, also in a whisper. "I read about them in _A History of Magic_. Wizards and goblins have fought wars in the past, but now they are getting along better."

"I wonder if goblins are what Harold Wilson had in mind when he referred to Swiss bankers as 'the little gnomes in Zürich'," said Harriet.

"Gnomes are different from goblins," replied Hermione. "Goblins are very clever, but gnomes, at least the garden variety, are rather stupid. I..."

"I know, you read about them!" laughed Harriet.

Harriet and Hermione spotted a teller who wasn't busy and went up to his window.

"I need to exchange these pounds for wizard money," said Harriet, feeling a bit self-conscious. "What is the exchange rate?"

"Back there," answered the goblin curtly, as he gestured toward a display on the wall behind him.

Harriet and Hermione peered at the rates for a moment, and determined that one Galleon would cost them five pounds.

"I would like to exchange two hundred pounds," stated Harriet to the impatient goblin. "Please give me thirty Galleons and the rest in Sickles," she said, trying to sound knowledgeable.

The goblin counted out the Galleons and Sickles. Harriet gathered the wizard money into her purse. She and Hermione left the bank, thankful that they didn't have to deal with goblins every day.

Hermione and her mother then headed for Ollivander's to pick out a wand. At least they _thought_ they were going to do the choosing.

As they entered the little shop, they were amazed at the clutter. The shelves were piled high with long, narrow little boxes. Some of the boxes were so dusty, they looked as if they had been sitting there for decades, maybe centuries.

"Hello? Anybody there?" Harriet asked, raising her voice a little.

"Yes, yes, be patient. I'm coming," came the reply.

In a moment an elderly man came out of one of the aisles formed by the shelves. He had very bright eyes in a very wrinkled face. He gave Harriet the impression that he was a shrewd businessman and a meticulous craftsman.

When he saw Hermione standing slightly behind her mother, his eyes twinkled and he said, "No, no, don't tell me — let me guess...You have received a letter from Hogwarts and you need a wand!"

"Why, yes," said Hermione, a little shyly. "How did you know?"

Isn't that obvious? thought Harriet to herself.

"Well, you must need a wand or you wouldn't be here, now would you?" replied Mr. Ollivander, for that was who he was. "You also look about the right age to be starting at Hogwarts. You don't sound foreign, so you're not going to Beaubaton or Durmstrang, are you?"

"What sort of wand would you recommend? Mr. Ollivander, is it?" said Harriet, growing impatient with the old man's banter.

"Yes, madam, I am Ollivander, but I cannot pick out a wand for your daughter," replied Mr. Ollivander. "I can only guide her search, until she finds the wand that is right for her."

"How will I know the right wand, Mr. Ollivander?" asked Hermione, puzzled.

"That's actually the easy part, Miss," replied Ollivander. "You see, as those of us who are experts in wand lore know, the wand chooses the witch. It's a little like falling in love, the witch with the wand, the wand with the witch. You will be bound to each other for life."

"I didn't know that getting my first wand would be such a serious business," said Hermione, with a worried expression.

"The power of a wand requires a certain harmony with its owner. A witch or wizard can channel his or her magical energy through any well-made wand, but the power of the combination will be at its greatest when the witch or wizard is in tune with the wand," Mr. Ollivander instructed them.

"May I try out some wands, then?" asked Hermione.

"Certainly, Miss," said Mr. Ollivander, a sly smile briefly appearing on his face. "Have a go with this one." He pulled out a balsa wand that was quite light, even though it was fifteen inches long and quite thick. "Give it a wave."

Hermione did as she was instructed. She was surprised to see a few sparks shoot out the end, but that was all the wand was capable of doing for her.

"Ah, just as I expected," said Ollivander. "Here is another one, made of desert willow." This wand was slender but very stiff. Hermione repeated the same procedure as before with this wand, with the same result. She also tried a spell, Wingardium Leviosa, that she had found in _Magical Theory_. The ledger book on Mr. Ollivander's desk twitched a tiny bit, but then lay still.

Hermione said, "Are you sure these are _magic_ wands? They don't seem very good."

"Ah, my dear," replied Ollivander, 'it's just as I explained earlier. It is clear that you and these two wands are very far out of tune with each other. I am sure, however, that I have wands with which you will be much more successful, but before I can be an effective matchmaker between you and your wand, I must know more about you. Do you mind if ask you some questions?"

"No, I guess not," answered Hermione, somewhat worried about the difficulties she was having.

"Good. Your parents are Muggles, are they not?" continued Ollivander.

"Yes," answered Hermione. "I didn't know I was a witch until Professor Dumbledore came to visit us and gave me my letter. How did you know my parents are Muggles?"

"If your mother had been a witch, she would almost certainly have purchased a wand from me when she got her letter, so she would have recognized me immediately," Ollivander stated with conviction. "Have you learned much about magic since you got your letter?"

"I've been reading as much as I could. I've read four books on magical history and one book on magical theory," Hermione assured him.

"Very unusual," Mr. Ollivander replied. "Most youngsters go right for the spellbooks and have no interest in the history or the theory. You seem to have a real thirst for knowledge."

"Hermione's always been a very serious student, and she's always done well in school," her mother said proudly.

"Well, then," said Mr. Ollivander, "it is clear that Hermione is ambitious as well as curious. That is a powerful combination." The old man closed his eyes. "I see Hermione climbing, climbing upwards toward the sun, toward the light." He opened his eyes and looked intently at her.

"Any plant will grow toward the light, Hermione. Most plants try to do so on their own. Trees, for example. A vine, though, is a climber. It knows to take advantage of the height that other plants have already gained, just as you are already seeking to learn from witches and wizards who have gone before you. A vine is flexible when young but becomes very strong as it ages. Yes, I think a wand made of vine wood may suit you."

"May I try some vine wood wands, then? asked Hermione, eager to begin her search.

"The wood is just the outer part of the wand. The core of the wand is at least as important," said Ollivander. "I must know more about you in order to suggest a core."

"What else do you want to know, Mr. Ollivander?" asked Harriet, somewhat suspiciously.

"Well, Mrs. ..." began Ollivander.

"Granger. Harriet Granger," supplied Harriet.

"Yes, well, Mrs. Granger," Ollivander resumed, "I need to know as much as I can about _Hermione's_ core. Is she loving? Is she strong? Is she adventurous? Is she courageous?"

"I would say that Hermione has all of those qualities, Mr. Ollivander," replied Harriet. "When my mother was still living with us and became ill, Hermione was a big help. She made sure Mum was comfortable and had plenty of fluids to drink. She helped her keep up with her numerous medications."

"I see," said Mr. Ollivander. "Love in action!"

"She knows what she wants and pursues it — in spite of resistance from her father and me," continued Harriet. "For example, she's determined to go to Hogwarts, in spite of our misgivings that it's the right thing for her."

"I see," responded Ollivander.

"Finally," said Harriet, with a hint of disappointment in her voice, "she knows that choosing a magical education over a Muggle education may well close off paths in medicine and science that she has been following since she was very young. I think that takes real courage, the courage of her convictions."

"Wow, Mum, I didn't know you felt that way about my going to Hogwarts," murmured Hermione.

"Honey, I'm prouder of you than I can say," said Harriet softly, her eyes sparkling in the shop's dim light.

Mr. Ollivander again closed his eyes. "I see a fierce, caring heart in Hermione, a soaring desire to learn, a passion to make the world a better place," he said.

"I get that from my mum," said Hermione, quietly, as she hugged her mother, who returned her embrace.

"The right wand for Hermione, I think," said Ollivander, "will have a dragon heartstring core."

"Really?" asked mother and daughter together.

"So there actually are dragons, then?" continued Harriet.

"Oh, yes, but getting their heartstrings can be very costly, in more than Galleons. Sometimes dragons, like bears, must be euthanized because they have tasted human blood," said Ollivander, sadly. "However, I recently received a supply of heartstrings from a dragon that had lived on a preserve in Romania. She had been killed by wizard poachers who were trying to steal her eggs. By coincidence I used one of the heartstrings as the core of a vine wood wand. Let me get it for you, and you can try it out, Hermione."

Mr. Ollivander disappeared into the aisle from which he had come earlier. A minute later he was back, a new wand of vine wood in his hand and a sense of anticipation about him. "Here, try this one," he told Hermione.

Hermione eagerly but gently took the wand from Mr. Ollivander and examined it carefully. The wand felt very good in her hand. Was it vibrating slightly, as if it were purring? Hermione had read about a few spells, but nothing had happened when she had tried them using the old conductor's baton that she had borrowed from school, just as little had happened when she used Ollivander's balsa and willow wands. This time would be different, she was sure.

Hermione visualized the motions that she had seen in the pictures in her magical theory book. "Wingardium leviosa!" she said firmly, as she swished and flicked her wand at the ledger book on Mr. Ollivander's desk. The book rose slowly into the air and hovered a foot above the desk, until Hermione gently let it down by lowering the wand.

"Very good, Hermione, very good, indeed!" exclaimed Mr. Ollivander, a great smile of joy bursting out on his wrinkled face. "I think that wand has chosen its witch."

Hermione beamed with happiness. "I was worried that I wouldn't be able to do real magic when that old conductor's baton didn't work for me. I worried even more when I couldn't work the spells with the balsa and willow wands," she told her mum. "I can't wait to try some other spells with my new wand!"

Harriet, meanwhile, was standing agog at what she had just witnessed. She had always known Hermione was a special child, from the intensity with which she had nursed, from the steady stare she had fixed on her mother from her crib, from the delight she had always shown whenever she learned some new fact or made a new friend. The demonstration today, however, had taken Harriet to a new level of parental surprise and delight. Hermione had done something that all Harriet's training had taught her was impossible, and she had done it easily, with a simple movement of her hand and a couple of words from her mouth. Harriet realized at that moment that Hermione's life was going to be radically different than Harriet had imagined it. She just hoped that she would be able to accept her daughter's new path.

Hermione and her mother chatted with Mr. Ollivander for a few more minutes, then paid for the new wand ("a bargain at only seven Galleons," enthused Hermione), and left the shop.

"Mum, I need a spell book so I can learn how to use my wand properly. Let's go back to Flourish & Blotts," said Hermione.

"OK," agreed Harriet.

As they entered the book shop, they saw Libphilius Thicklens, who had helped them on their first visit to Diagon Alley. He smiled when he saw them and hurried over.

"Good morning, good morning. So nice to see you again, Mrs. and Miss Granger," Mr. Thicklens said, greeting them warmly. "Did you finish reading those books on magical history, Miss Granger?"

"I'm impressed that you remember us, Mr., uh, Thicklens," replied Harriet, glancing quickly at his name tag.

"Yes, I read all five of the books, Mr. Thicklens," confirmed Hermione. "Now I need to get some books on magical spells. Here is my Hogwarts book list."

"Certainly, Miss," replied the clerk, "but I don't need your list. All the first-year students at Hogwarts need the same textbooks, which are right over there. Fortunately we have a few left in stock." He led Hermione and Harriet to several high stacks of books.

"You'll be wanting _A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration _by Emeric Switch. That's it," he said, pointing to a shelf near his two customers. "Then there's _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)_ by Miranda Goshawk. Your mother has it already, I see," said the clerk

"Madam, you may want to consider the deluxe edition, which has moving and talking pictures of real witches and wizards demonstrating the spells," he called over to Mrs. Granger.

"Mum, can we get the one with the movies? Please? It will be ever so much better to see the spells done, especially since it will be months and months before I go to Hogwarts," implored Hermione. "I want to practice the spells before I get there. I bet all the other students' parents will be helping them learn spells."

"All right," said Mrs. Granger. "That sounds like a good idea. I see the deluxe edition right beside the standard one."

"Mum, here's a little book on magical creatures that is also on my list. Can we get it too?" asked Hermione.

"Hmm, _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, by Newt Scamander? I suppose so," Harriet agreed.

Mrs. Granger paid for the three text books. Mother and daughter said farewell to Mr. Thicklens and left the shop.

Before long they were back home. Hermione took her new books straight to her room and began to read. She realized once more that she had a lot to learn, but it looked like it would be fun.


	8. Practice, Practice, Practice

**A Witch Awakens**

**by Professor Skrewt**

**Practice, Practice, Practice**

Hermione at last had everything she would need to begin practicing real spells. Every day after school she came home, hurried through her homework, got out _The Standard Book of Spells_, and practiced one or more incantations. With her new wand she was able to do most of the spells after just a few attempts. The moving, talking pictures certainly helped her learn the hexes, jinxes, and charms that were covered in the book. Her cat, old Mr. Jinx, was not too happy about being Hermione's guinea pig, so he tended to hide before she came home from school.

Before long Hermione had convinced her parents to buy her a real guinea pig, which she named "Giorgio Pig," or "G. P" for short. "Engorgio, Giorgio!" she would say, pointing her wand at the little animal, and it would grow bigger. As Hermione refined her technique, she could make G. P. grow larger or smaller, as large as Mr. Jinx, whom the enlarged rodent would chase for fun. Poor old Mr. Jinx ran from the room as soon as Hermione began to open G.P.'s cage.

At school, Hermione was having less trouble with magic happening around her when she got angry with Jason or another annoying boy or girl. Just knowing that she could jinx them if she wanted to made it easier to keep her magic under control.

Hermione really wanted to talk with Susie about what she was learning, but she found that she couldn't. Dumbledore's charm still prevented her and her parents from revealing the secret magical world to Muggles.

One day Susie brought her favorite miniature glass cat to school to show Hermione and Meghan. As she was handing it to Meghan someone bumped into her accidentally and the little cat fell to the hard tile floor and broke into several pieces.

"Oh, no! It's smashed!" Susie wailed with pain and frustration at her loss. Hermione wished that she could have taken out her wand and performed a spell to mend the tiny feline for Susie, but she knew that was forbidden. Thinking quickly, Hermione scooped up all the pieces of the figurine and said to Susie, "My dad has a special glue that dentists use for fixing teeth that may work on your glass cat. May I take it home and try to glue it back together?"

"I guess so," said Susie, "but it looks like it's beyond repair."

"We'll see," replied Hermione. "I'll do my best."

That afternoon after school, Mr. Granger picked up Hermione as usual. She showed him the pieces of the glass cat and told him her plan for fixing it.

"It'll be great if you can repair that for Susie," he said, "but don't get your hopes up. Maybe you should practice first on something less precious."

After they got home, Hermione finished her homework, got out her spell book, and looked through the index for a spell that looked as if it would do the trick. The most promising one was Reparo. Hermione read all about the spell and watched a witch demonstrate the spell a couple of times. Following her father's suggestion, she found a couple of broken toys in her closet and practiced on them. She found that her little clown's head could not be reattached to its body unless the head were touching the body in approximately the right orientation. At last the clown was back to its original condition, minus a few patches of worn paint. Hermione then tried to fix a broken model airplane and quickly had it looking as good as new.

After these successes Hermione was confident enough to try to repair Susie's glass cat. She arranged the cat's left forepaw, its tail, and its head in exactly the right positions on the cat's body, got out her wand, and, doing her best to imitate the witch's wand movements and speech, said, "Felix Reparo!" Instantly the pieces of the cat fused back together. No lines were even visible where the parts had been joined together. Hermione was very pleased that her spell had worked.

"Look, Dad!" she shouted to her father, who was reading the latest issue of _The British Dental Journal_ in his study. She picked up the little glass cat and ran to show him the results of her work.

"Very impressive!" he said, approvingly. "I think Susie will be very grateful to you."

Her father was right. The next morning at school Hermione presented the good-as-new cat to her friend, who was delighted.

"This is wonderful, Hermione!" Susie squealed. "Thanks ever so much. That dental glue really did a great job. I don't even see any joints. Are you sure this is the same cat?"

"I'm sure!" laughed Hermione. "Don't you recognize your own cat?"

"It looks the same, but I just don't see how you could have fixed it so completely. It's like magic!" exclaimed Susie

"Yeah, that dental glue is _amazing_!" replied Hermione, a little alarmed that Susie might suspect something other than glue was used in the repair. "Say, let's go see if Mr. Flaska is in class yet. I have a question to ask him."

The two friends headed for class, where they found Mr. Flaska getting ready for their lesson. Hermione asked the teacher to explain something he had mentioned at the end of the previous lesson, thus succeeding in covering up her eagerness to change the subject from miraculous adhesives.

Fortunately, science class and their other lessons went by without further mention of the cat repair. Hermione was relieved that Susie had not pursued the matter and decided that she would be a little less eager in the future to employ her new skills to solve Muggle problems.


	9. Holiday Magic

**A Witch Awakens**

**by Professor Skrewt**

**Holiday Magic**

By the first week of December the holiday season was in full swing. The shops were all decorated for Christmas, enticing crowds of people to come inside and purchase gifts for their family and friends. Hermione enjoyed Christmas shopping, except for being jostled by other shoppers and having to wait in line at the most popular places. She liked seeing all the decorations and listening to the joyful music of the season.

It was more fun to take in all the sights and sounds with a friend, of course, so Hermione made arrangements with Susie to go shopping on the second Saturday in December. The two girls met at the edge of the shopping district in their town that morning and began walking together along the main street in the area, pausing to look into each window they passed.

The animated displays in a few shop windows held a special fascination for the two girls. The window of Hermione's favorite clothing store, Madam Mozell's, had figures of a boy and a girl waving at the people passing by outside.

"Let's go into Schindler's Department Store," suggested Susie. "Their toy section always has really neat stuffed animals and the most beautiful dolls."

"And they always have a fantastic model train layout," added Hermione.

The two friends made their way to Schindler's and into its toy department. In the center of the department was a large model train layout, covered with realistic trees, roads, factories, houses, and other buildings. There was a mountain through which a tunnel had been made for the railroad tracks. As the girls watched, a passenger train sped past a freight train that was waiting on a siding until the main line was clear for it to resume its slow journey.

"I wonder why boys are more interested in trains than girls are," mused Susie.

"I guess it depends on what boy or girl you're talking about," suggested Hermione, for she had long been fascinated by miniature trains.

The two girls continued their walk through the toy store, pausing to look at the stuffed animals and the dolls.

"I need to get my dad something today," Hermione informed Susie, as Susie examined a pretty little doll with blonde hair, blue eyes, and wearing a Ukrainian folk costume.

"Me, too," replied Susie, picking up another doll to admire. "Do you have any idea what he would like?"

"I've been thinking he would like a Belgian Waffle maker," Hermione said. "He really likes to make crepes but he has all the equipment he needs for that."

"That's a great idea!" Susie said approvingly. "I don't know what my dad would like. He's interested in loads of different things."

"Maybe you should ask your mum for suggestions," responded Hermione.

"Yeah, maybe I will. Shall we go looking for that Belgian Waffle maker, then?"

"Sure," Hermione answered.

The girls found the store's directory just outside the toy section, located the small appliances department, and walked in its direction, pausing frequently to admire the displays of clothing, jewelry, and candy. It did not take Hermione long to find and buy a nice electric Belgian Waffle maker. She hoped that it would be a big hit with her father.

After another hour of wandering around Schindler's and a number of other stores, the two pals decided to split up and head for home. The waffle maker was beginning to feel quite heavy to Hermione, so she was glad to find a seat on the crowded bus that would take her back to her own neighborhood.

That night Hermione began to wonder whether any of the shops in Diagon Alley had enchanted their decorations to move about. She imagined a shop window with snow gently falling onto the figures of a boy and a girl at play. The snow, in her vision, would disappear moments after it had landed on the two children. She had learned in _Magical Theory_ that magic interfered with electrical apparatus, so she guessed that electric trains were not among the toys of wizard boys and girls. Perhaps those children had trains that moved on their own, without electricity. She imagined tiny people boarding passenger trains at stations and containers of various sorts being loaded onto freight trains at miniature depots, all without electrical or human assistance.

"Maybe I can transfigure some of our Christmas decorations to move," thought Hermione. "Nothing too elaborate or too obvious." She thumbed through _A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration_, looking for a simple animating spell. At last she found one that looked suitable. _Minitotum Locomotor_ was supposedly good for making tiny objects move. It was often used to animate small figures, like statues of sports stars and toy animals. Hermione tried it on one of her stuffed animals, but the lion was apparently too big, because it just lay on her bed and quivered slightly. She found a miniscule replica of Twiggy, the model-turned-actress, and managed to get it to show off its wardrobe in her hand.

With that success under her belt, Hermione went looking for some of her family's unused Christmas decorations. She found a manger scene with a few sheep, some shepherds, the Three Wise Men, the baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The paint on the figures was chipped in places and one of the shepherds was missing a hand. Hermione touched each figure carefully with her wand and murmured "Reparo". Soon the little figures were as good as new.

"Now for the hard part," she said to herself, as she touched one of the Wise Men and said, "Minitotum Locomotor". The little figure knelt beside the baby Jesus in his manger, bowed his head, and presented his gift to the infant. Hermione tried the same spell on the other figures, which made similarly appropriate movements. The sheep wandered around the stable, the shepherds knelt and bowed, and the other Wise Men followed the first Wise Man's example. The baby Jesus waved his arms, his mother Mary stroked his cheek gently, and Joseph bent over Mary and the child.

"It's a wonderful display!" Hermione exclaimed. "So much nicer than the large displays with their jerky, mechanical movements. And it's so peaceful."

Hermione ran into the living room, where her parents were reading in their favorite chairs. "Come see what I've done with our old creche!" she said excitedly.

Harriet and Alfred followed Hermione into her room, where they saw the restored creche and the tiny figures in their peaceful pantomime of worship and love.

"Amazing!" said Alfred. "How'd you do it?"

"It's beautiful, Hermione!" exclaimed Harriet. "I'm just sad that we will not be able to share it with our friends."

"Oh," Hermione said quietly, "I hadn't though about that. I guess you're right. Letting non-magical people see it would reveal our secret, wouldn't it?"

"It's not just that, I'm afraid," said her father. "Some people, even some of our friends, would view what you have done as blasphemous, an insult to their most cherished beliefs."

"But why?" asked Hermione, her brow wrinkled in confusion and concern.

"Because they think magic is Satanic," answered her mother.

"But I don't worship Satan!" Hermione said defensively. "I didn't even know I could do magic until three months ago. It just sort of bubbled up out of me. Now I'm beginning to think of magic as just another ability that some people have and some people don't. Magic is beginning to seem natural to me, at least natural _for_ me."

"That makes sense," Harriet said. "Do you agree, Alfred?"

"Yes, I do," said Alfred. "And something else just occurred to me. Opposing magic on principle is a strange attitude, since many religious traditions feature miracles, including ones that Jesus and the Apostles performed."

"I think that what matters most is how a person uses her gifts, whether magical or not," said Harriet to her daughter. "I'm sure that you restored and animated the creche innocently, that you associated it with the peace and love that we all talk about at Christmas. Still, we had better keep this miracle to ourselves."

"OK," said Hermione sadly, "but can we keep it out when we're the only ones in the house?"

"Sure," said Alfred.

"Yes, I'd like that," agreed Harriet.

So, for the next few weeks the Granger manger stayed on private display, and the tiny figures bowed their heads and presented their gifts in a continuing representation of the season's message of peace on earth and good will toward men.

On Christmas morning Hermione woke up earlier than usual, eager to open her presents. She got out of bed and put on her robe and slippers. It was just an ordinary Muggle robe, of course, since she did not yet have any witch robes. She wandered into the bathroom and brushed her teeth, since it would be a while before she ate breakfast.

"Hermione, are you up?" called her mother.

"Yes, Mum. I was just brushing my teeth," Hermione replied. "Are you and Dad ready to open presents?"

"Yes, I suppose so," Harriet sighed. "Give us a few minutes to get organized. You can go into the living room, but don't open any packages."

Hermione reluctantly agreed to her mother's request and walked into the living room. She turned on the Christmas tree lights and then checked that the tiny figures in the creche were still moving. They had not stopped bowing their heads and presenting their gifts for almost ten days. Hermione wondered whether the spell would ever wear off.

There was a large package next to the Christmas tree that had not been there when she had gone to bed the night before. What could the pretty gold wrapping paper be hiding, she wondered. Her parents had asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she had mentioned several items, including a science encyclopedia and a telescope. Either of those could be in that package, she thought.

Hermione's eyes then fell on the presents that she had put under the tree for her parents. Her mother was bound to like the Icelandic sweater that she and Susie had found on sale during their shopping expedition a couple of weeks earlier. She hoped that her dad would like his present so much that he would cook Belgian waffles for their Christmas breakfast.

In a few minutes her parents came into the living room, yawning and stretching, dressed in robes and slippers like Hermione.

"Merry Christmas, Hermione!" Alfred said to his daughter. "I see your animated Nativity scene is still functioning."

"Yes, it's doing better than I thought it would," she said.

"I've really enjoyed looking at it, Hermione," said Harriet. "You made it as good as new — better, in fact."

"Which present would you like to open first?" her father asked her.

"The one you and Mum gave me, of course!" exclaimed Hermione. "I'm dying to know what it is."

"Right, then," Alfred said, handing her the large wrapped box. "It feels pretty heavy. Can you manage it?"

"Of course, Dad — I _am_ eleven, you know!" she reminded him.

Hermione eagerly tore the white ribbon and gold paper from the present and found — a telescope. Not just any telescope, either. It was a beautiful Celestron C5.

"Wow! This is great!" said Hermione, running to hug her parents. "My school has a few Celestron C8 telescopes, and they're awesome! They're a little heavy to move around, though. The C5 is just the right size for me. I can't wait until tonight to try it out! Mars is only about four weeks past its closest approach to Earth, so I should get a good view of it. Maybe Susie can come over tonight and we can try it out!"

"That's the same compact scope that the American space shuttle crews use while in orbit," her father informed her.

"We're very glad you like your present so much," her mother said. "We thought it would be something you could use in either the magical or the non-magical world."

"Or both!" exclaimed Hermione. "That's one more thing I can cross off my Hogwarts list. Now, why don't one of you open a present?"

"Harriet, here's a present for you from — I can't quite read the tiny writing — from, uh, Hermioninny. Oh, check that — from Hermione!", said Alfred, laughing, as Hermione looked on in exasperation.

"Give it here, then, Alfred, and quit making your little jokes," chided Harriet. She took the box, which Hermione had wrapped in red foil paper and tied with silver ribbon. Some small silver bells were also attached, and they tinkled merrily as Harriet turned the package over and slid her hand under the overlapping layer of paper. Soon she had the box open and was marveling at the beautiful wool sweater that Hermione had given her.

"What a lovely gift!" Harriet said to her daughter. "You have such good taste. I'll put in on right after breakfast this morning," she promised.

"Speaking of breakfast, when are we going to eat? I'm starving!" Alfred said with mock urgency.

"Why don't you at least open this one present, then?" Hermione said to her father, offering him the present she had picked out for him.

"Oh, all right, Hermioninny, if you insist," said Alfred, taking the package. "What's inside, I wonder? It's pretty heavy. Not a set of Grunnings drills, I hope! The last Grunnings drill I got was too dull to bore holes for the oak table I was making. Boring and dull — that's Grunnings."

"No, not drills, Dad!" said Hermione impatiently. "Go on, open it!"

Alfred carefully removed the green wrapping paper and put it aside. Then he broke into a wide grin and said, "Why, it's a device for pressing new treads into worn-out tires! Just what I've always wanted!"

"Dad!" Hermione burst out, "No teasing! It's Christmas!" Then she added, a worried look creeping over her face, "Don't you like it? Should I take it back?"

"No, honey, I _was_ just teasing. Sorry!" her father apologized. "I really _do_ like it. I love Belgian waffles, and now I can make them whenever I want."

"Like this morning?" asked Harriet.

"Sure thing," said Alfred.

"Whew!" Hermione added, her frown replaced by a toothy grin. "Let's go into the kitchen and watch Dad try out his new waffle maker."

That's exactly what they did.


	10. The Aspiring Astronomer

**A Witch Awakens**

**by Professor Skrewt**

**The Aspiring Astronomer**

Christmas night came at last. After supper Susie arrived with her father's December 1990 issue of _Sky and Telescope_ magazine, which described the interesting astronomical events of that month.

"On the way over here I noticed that the moon was just past first quarter, so we should be able to see lots of craters on it," said Susie excitedly. "The magazine also says that Mars rises just before sunset and that it will be visible almost all night."

Hermione and Susie took the new Celestron C5 out to the Grangers' back yard and set it up on its wedge mount in the cement bird bath, which had been empty for a couple of months. The quarter moon was sinking in the west, so the two friends decided to look at it first.

"Wow! I can see Tycho!" exclaimed Hermione.

"Here, let me see!" said Susie, as she took Hermione's place at the eyepiece of the Celestron. "Yes! I'm sure that's Tycho. It's near the South Pole, with all those white streaks coming out from it."

"Those streaks were made when an asteroid crashed into the Moon. They prove that Tycho is a relatively young crater," Hermione informed her friend. "Can you find Copernicus?"

"Just a minute. I'll try," replied Susie. "Yes, I think so. It's right in the middle now. See what you think."

Hermione took her turn at the eyepiece. "Yeah, that's Copernicus, all right!" she said. "It's amazing how much we can see on the Moon."

The two girls next looked eastward, hoping to see Mars rising.

"_Sky & Telescope_'s map showed that Mars would be in Taurus, near the bright star Aldebaran and the Pleiades cluster," said Susie. "I think I see it. What do you think?"

Hermione followed her friend's gaze and quickly agreed that they had found Mars. "Let's point the scope at it!" she said excitedly.

They quickly moved the telescope to point in the general direction of what they thought was Mars, then used the small finder telescope to get the bright object into the main scope's field of view.

"That's it!" shrieked Hermione. "I think I can even see a polar ice cap! Come have a look, Susie."

"You're right!" exclaimed Susie, joining in her friend's excitement. "This is so cool! I wonder what it would be like to go to Mars."

"It would take a long time to get there, I bet," said Hermione. "Say, let's go tell my Mum and Dad to come have a look."

The two girls headed back inside the house, where Harriet had mugs of hot chocolate waiting for them.

"Mum! Come take a look at Mars in my new telescope! You'll be amazed!" Hermione said, as she and Susie gratefully accepted their drinks. "Where's Dad? He should come look, too!"

"What's this I hear about Mars making an appearance in our back yard?" said Alfred, as he entered the kitchen.

"Yes!" exclaimed Hermione. "You've _got_ to come see it! Assuming we set up the C5 correctly, Mars should still be visible through the eyepiece."

"OK, let's go!" agreed Alfred. "Harriet, are you going to take a look with us?"

"You bet," answered his wife.

Everyone headed back outside and took turns enjoying the view through the little Celestron. Hermione felt that this was the best Christmas present ever.

After the Christmas holidays Hermione and Susie were glad to be back in school, since they had not seen many of their friends in a couple of weeks and they all had loads of stuff to talk about — mainly trips they had taken and presents they had received. In particular, Hermione and Susie had not seen Meghan during the holidays because her family had been visiting her father's parents in Dublin.

"Meghan!" the two friends shouted at once, as their friend walked into the school.

"My trip was great," answered Meghan. "I got to meet my Irish cousins. One of them is really cute and plays in a band, 'Finian's Rainbows'."

"Did you see any leprechauns?" asked Susie.

"Don't be silly!" scoffed Meghan, but Hermione was not so sure it was silly. She had been reading about all manner of creatures that she had once thought were imaginary but that turned out to be real — if she could trust _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. In addition to leprechauns there were also imps, pixies, and Doxies among the tiny creatures with somewhat human form, and that was just the beginning of the strange beings described in the book.

Science was the first class of the day. Mr. Flaska was his usual enthusiastic self, bouncing around at the front of the class, waving his hands and talking excitedly about the amazing variety of molecules found in nature. Hermione and Susie lingered after class to talk with Mr. Flaska about what they had observed with Hermione's new telescope.

"Very interesting!" said Mr. Flaska. "I'm glad that you spent some time observing the Moon. Every night there's something different to see on the Moon, as the terminator moves from east to west across its face. Do you girls remember what the terminator is?"

"That's the line between the sunlit area and the area in darkness," said Hermione. "We looked at the craters Copernicus and Tycho, which were both near the terminator, so the long shadows made them look almost three-dimensional."

"The mountain ranges on the Moon are also interesting," said Mr. Flaska. "The next time the Moon is eight days old you should try to find the lunar Alps, with the crater Plato and the Alpine Valley."

"Thanks for the tip, Mr. Flaska," replied Hermione, as she and Susie headed for their next class.

January seemed to have more than its share of cloudy night, so Hermione spent many evening hours in the house, reading her books. In particular she went back to _A History of Magic_ to review what the magical world knew about the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars. She learned that the ancient Babylonians had developed both astronomy (learning to predict the motions of heavenly bodies) and astrology (interpreting the significance of celestial events for people on Earth). According to Bathilda Bagshot, some witches and wizards in modern times continued to study and teach astronomy, using telescopes to study even the outer planets Uranus and Neptune. Hermione wondered whether Twentieth Century witch and wizard astronomers knew about Pluto, and whether they taught their students information about the moons of Jupiter obtained by the Voyager space missions.

One day in science class Hermione was wondering about the difference between modern astronomy and modern astrology. "Mr. Flaska," she began, "when did astronomy and astrology split apart?"

"That is an interesting question, Hermione," Mr. Flaska began. "Apparently the first person to make a clear distinction between astronomy and astrology was the Persian astronomer and astrologer Abu Rayhan al-Biruni around 1000 A.D. He and other medieval Islamic scholars argued against astrology on both scientific and religious grounds. With the development of modern astronomy by Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton in the 16th and 17th centuries, astrology fell out of favor with Western intellectuals but still retained a popular following. In some Asian cultures even today, for example, the dates of weddings are set according to astrological considerations."

"Mr. Flaska," piped up Susie, "Do astronomy and astrology share any beliefs today?"

"Well, Susie," the teacher said, "Astronomy and astrology today do not share more than a superficial set of beliefs. For example, astronomers have long known that the Earth wobbles on its axis, making the astrologers' use of the Zodiac very inaccurate. Do you know where the Tropic of Cancer got its name?"

"Yes. The Sun is in the constellation Cancer at the summer solstice, when days are longest and nights are shortest in the Northern Hemisphere. At the solstice, the Sun is directly overhead at noon along the Tropic of Cancer, which is about 23 degrees north latitude," answered Susie.

"You're partially right, Susie," replied Mr. Flaska. "Indeed, you would have been completely right — about 2000 years ago! Next June 21 the Sun will be in Gemini, not Cancer. So, you see, the whole edifice of astrology is built upon incorrect science."

"You mean that, since I was born on June 23, I'm really a Gemini, not a Cancer?" asked Meghan, betraying some confusion and distress.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," said Mr. Flaska gently. "But I wouldn't worry about it too much. Your future will depend much more on your choices than on your sign, Meghan."

The class was soon over, and Hermione, Susie, and Meghan left the room together.

"I told you that astrology stuff was baloney, Meghan," crowed Hermione. "You would do well to abandon it."

"I still think it's fun to read my horoscope everyday," answered Meghan, defensively.

"I don't suppose it does any harm," said Susie.

"Mr. Flaska sure knows a lot about astronomy _and_ astrology," said Hermione. On that point all three girls agreed.


	11. The Puttering Potioneer

**A Witch Awakens**

**by Professor Skrewt**

**The Puttering Potioneer**

"Mum! Dad!" Hermione called to her parents one evening. "Let's go back to Diagon Alley to get the rest of my supplies for Hogwarts. I want to get a cauldron, a potion-making kit with scales and phials, and some special ingredients."

"A cauldron?" replied her mother. "I think it would be best if your father or I supervised your potion-making, certainly at first. You can use some of our old pots instead of a cauldron, and you can brew your potions on the stove while one of us watches. Just in case you have an accident."

"Oh, all right, then," Hermione said disgruntledly. "But I will need a cauldron before I leave for Hogwarts."

"We'll make sure you have what you need, Hermione," her father replied. "Shall we go on Saturday?"

On the following Saturday Hermione and her dad were about to leave home for their trip to Diagon Alley. Hermione had the list of supplies required for first-year students at Hogwarts. Alfred was putting his wallet into his pocket when Harriet spoke up.

"Alfred, you may need wizard money for your purchases today. Why don't you take this? It's all of the wizard money left from the wand-buying trip in the autumn."

"Thanks, Harriet," said Alfred gratefully. "You may have saved us some embarrassment, or at least some time."

After Mr. Granger had parked the car, he and Hermione entered The Leaky Cauldron and made their way through the gateway to Diagon Alley. The street was filled with weekend visitors, and the shops seemed to be doing a lot of business.

"Let's get my Potions book at Flourish and Blotts," said Hermione to her dad. "You remember where we got those magical history books, don't you?"

"Sure," her father answered. "It was an interesting shop. Do you remember the name of the fellow who helped us?"

"That was Libphilius Thicklens," said Hermione. "He also sold us the texts for Transfiguration and Charms when Mum and I came to buy my wand."

Hermione and her dad entered the old book shop and looked around for Mr. Thicklens. They spotted him as he sat at a small table in the rear of the shop, sipping a cup of tea.

"Mr. Thicklens!" called Hermione. "It's me again. I need the first-year Potions textbook."

"Ah, Miss Granger! How good to see you. I see you've brought your father with you this time. It's good to see you again, too, sir," said the clerk. "You'll be wanting _Magical Drafts and Potions _by Arsenius Jigger, then."

"Yes, that's what's on the list from Hogwarts," relied Hermione.

Mr. Granger paid six Galleons for the book, bade Mr. Thicklens farewell, and left the shop with Hermione.

"Shall we try the Apothecary for potion supplies?" asked Alfred.

"Sure," agreed Hermione.

Hermione and her dad headed back along Diagon Alley, past Gringotts and Madam Malkin's, to the Apothecary, which was also a very interesting shop. Hermione had never seen so many strange substances in all her life. Even her father was amazed at the bottles full of such things as eye of newt, toe of frog, wool of bat, and tongue of dog that lined the shelves in the store. They seemed strangely familiar, even though he had never used any of them in his university chemistry classes. "Double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble," Alfred quoted Shakespeare to himself. I'll certainly watch _Macbeth_ with a different perspective now, he thought.

While her father amused himself looking around at the jars, tubs, barrels, and boxes of strange ingredients, Hermione quickly found a shelf labelled "Hogwarts Potion Kits". The shelf held boxes of ingredients and tools for each of the seven years at Hogwarts. She chose a box for Beginning Potions, making sure that it had brass scales and crystal vials. She also picked up a box of ingredients for first-year Potions. As Hermione was taking her selections back to her father, she noticed a display that said "Dragon-hide Gloves". Hermione stopped, found a pair of gloves that fit her, and rejoined her dad.

"Dad, here's the potions kit, some ingredients, and also some gloves," Hermione said.

Alfred paid the clerk nine Sickles for the kit, four Sickles for the box of ingredients, and five Sickles, eight Knuts for the gloves. The clerk put the kit, box, and gloves into a bag. Hermione took the bag, thanked the clerk, and she and her dad left the Apothecary.

"I can't wait to get home and try to make a potion!" exclaimed Hermione as she and her father drove home.

When Hermione and her father got home, she jumped out of the car and ran into the house with her bag from the Apothecary.

"Mum! Look what I've got — scales and vials and ingredients for making potions, and the textbook for first-year Potions! When can I try out some potions?" Hermione implored her mother.

"Calm down, Hermione," said Harriet. "Why don't you read your textbook first? At least read the introduction and the first couple of chapters. Then come back and we'll discuss the next step."

"Oh, all right!" groused Hermione. "I'll be back in a little while."

Hermione went to her bedroom, sat down at her desk, turned on the light, and began to read _Magical Drafts and Potions_. She was amazed at the many different kinds of potions that wizards had invented: potions to make someone fall in love, to cure coughs and colds, to induce sleep, to transform someone into a different form, and many more. Hermione read on, looking for a potion that looked interesting, was not too difficult, used ingredients that she had purchased, and would likely be approved by her parents.

She finally found one called _Tanning Draught_ that made one appear to have vacationed recently in the Mediterranean. She checked the list of ingredients against the ones in her little box from the Apothecary. She had everything except for a stick of cinnamon, which she was sure she could find in the Granger kitchen, and bark from a ginkgo tree, which she could get from a neighbor's yard.

Hermione gathered up her potion kit, the box of ingredients, and the potions book, and hurried back to the kitchen, where her parents were talking.

"I want to make a Tanning Draught," she announced.

"A what?" said her father.

"A Tanning Draught," replied Hermione. "It makes your skin get darker. The ingredients are not very exotic and seem harmless enough. May I try to make it?"

"Let me read what your book has to say about it," said her father.

"I want to read about it, too," said her mother. The Drs. Granger took _Magical Drafts and Potions_ from Hermione and began to read.

"While you're reading about the potion, I'm going over to the Johnsons' to scrape some bark off their ginkgo tree," Hermione told her parents, and she left.

After a few minutes Harriet said, "This looks safe enough to me. I'm glad the effect is supposed to wear off in three days. What do you think, Alfred?"

"Yes, I think we can let Hermione brew a Tanning Draught," he answered. "We should watch her do it, though."

"Right," agreed Harriet. "I do hope we're not making a mistake by encouraging her to experiment a bit with magic before she goes to Hogwarts. We're not competent ourselves to judge whether she's attempting something dangerous."

"It _is_ a bit risky," said Alfred, "but if we don't let her try a few things, we won't have a clue how dangerous Hogwarts might be. And, without a clue, how can we let her go?"

Just then Hermione came back in the kitchen door, her cheeks red from the cold but her eyes alive with anticipation.

"I got the ginkgo bark. Mrs. Johnson wanted to know why I needed it, so I told her I was doing a project for school. That's kind of true, isn't it?" Hermione asked with some concern in her voice.

"Close enough," said her father.

"Look what I found for you to use in lieu of a cauldron, Hermione," said her mother, giving her an old pot that she had found in the attic.

The young witch thanked her mother and put the pot on the stove. "Let's get started, then," she said.

Hermione assembled the ingredients for the Tanning Draught on the counter beside the stove, next to the scales. She opened her potions text to the instructions she needed and set the book in the cookbook holder. Her parents watched as she followed the instructions:

1. Add two cups of water to your cauldron.

2. Light a medium fire under your cauldron.

3. Bring the water to a boil.

4. Meanwhile, grind 1 ounce of ginkgo bark into a powder.

"How can I grind this bark?" Hermione asked her parents.

"Let's break it into small pieces and put them one at a time into the spice grinder," suggested Alfred. "I'll set up the grinder for you."

Hermione broke the ginkgo bark into half a dozen pieces, which she fed into the spice grinder. When the grinder had finished, she resumed following the instructions in _Magical Drafts and Potions_:

5. Add the ginkgo bark to the boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the water turns a light brown.

6. Add one eye of newt for each year of age of the person who will take the draught.

At this instruction, Hermione checked her ingredients. She hoped that she had enough eyes of newt for herself. She doubted that she had enough for either of her parents. Fortunately, there was a vial with a dozen newt eyes in the box of potion ingredients. Hermione plowed ahead:

7. Add a pinch of powdered dung beetle.

8. Alternate stirring clockwise and counterclockwise until the mixture just begins to thicken.

"Yech! I wonder where those dung beetles were found," groaned Harriet, as Hermione got a pinch of the required ingredient from a little packet in her box and dropped it into the boiling pot.

9. Add the stick of cinnamon and simmer, stirring only clockwise until the potion has the desired degree of darkness.

Hermione added the cinnamon and continued stirring.

"How dark are you going to make this potion?" asked her mother.

"Just a little darker. Since I'll be testing this on myself and I haven't been on a tropical vacation, I don't want to get very tan," said Hermione. "There, that looks about right. The last step is..."

10. Remove the cauldron from the fire and let the potion become cool enough to drink.

"Well, there it is," said Hermione, as she turned off the flame under the pot. "Now we wait. The books says the potion can be drunk in stages, to make sure the desired effect is achieved. You're supposed to wait five minutes between doses for the full effect to be felt. I think I'll try just a tablespoonful at first."

At last the potion in the pot was cool enough to drink.

"Wait a minute, Hermione," said Alfred. "I want to record this experiment with my Polaroid camera." He left the room and returned soon with the camera. "OK, I'm ready if you are. We'll need to see how you looked before drinking the potion," he said, taking a picture of Hermione.

Hermione dipped a tablespoon into the pot, put the spoon to her lips, and drank the potion.

"Ugh, it's not very tasty," she said.

A couple of minutes passed, while Alfred and Harriet watched Hermione carefully, both for signs of tanning and for symptoms of illness.

"What do you think Don Fredericks would say if we let Hermione poison herself while we stood by?" wondered Harriet.

"Nothing complimentary, that's for sure," replied Alfred.

After five minutes had gone by, Hermione's skin did seem a little darker. Her dad took another picture. The family compared the two photos. They agreed that there was a slight darkening visible in the later picture.

"Now I'll try two tablespoonfuls," said Hermione. Her parents nodded in approval.

Five minutes after the second dose, the Polaroid revealed a definite darkening of Hermione's skin. The experiment continued, with ever larger doses and ever more pronounced effects. After Hermione had drunk half of the potion, she definitely looked like she did halfway through summer.

"I think I'll stop here," said Hermione. "I don't want to look too conspicuous at school next week."

"Good idea," said her father and mother together.

"This is great, though. I really can make magical potions!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Are you sure this potion is magical?" asked Harriet. "Maybe I should follow the same instructions as you, just to see whether these ingredients have some effect on the melanin-producing cells in the skin, without resorting to magic."

"But I used all but one of the newt eyes from my box of ingredients," said Hermione. "We would have to go back to Diagon Alley to get more."

"Let's remember to buy some more, then, on our next trip there," said Harriet. "I would really like to be sure the effect is magical, not natural."

"I thought we agreed that magic _is_ natural, for some people," Alfred reminded his wife.

"Anyway, I want to try some other potions in my book," said Hermione. "Some of the simpler ones use ingredients that I already have or can find nearby. OK?"

"OK, but not today, Hermione," replied her mother. "Your father and I both have other things to do today besides supervise your potion-making. Please clean up after yourself. You can store your left-over potion in the refrigerator."

"Oh, Mum, this is so much fun! Can't I try just one more today?"

"Nope, that's it for today. You can try another one next weekend, when we have more time to oversee your projects," Harriet stated firmly.

So, for the next week Hermione had to be content with reading _Magical Drafts and Potions_. Eventually she got to try making other potions, with mixed results. Her father enjoyed testing the Belching Beverage that she concocted using a combination of soy beans, dry ice, and few other ingredients. The Hair Tamer potion was less successful. It seemed that more than beginner's magic would be required to reduce the amazing bushiness of Hermione's hair.


	12. The Budding Biologist

**A Witch Awakens**

**by Professor Skrewt**

**The Budding Biologist**

The first week in March was unseasonably warm in East Molar. The crocuses had already been poking their heads up for a while, and the daffodils were beginning to burst into bloom. The kids in Hermione's school were beginning to get Spring Fever, for which there is no known curative potion, in either the Muggle world or the wizarding world. Hermione, Susie, and Meghan were all having trouble keeping their minds focused on their lessons that week.

By Wednesday Mr. Flaska gave up trying to convince the science class that chemistry was a great subject to study on the first warm days of the year. Instead, he said, "I bow to Nature — and to your natures. For the rest of the week this class will meet outside in the school gardens. There is plenty of science to learn about there. Even though the Earth is just a tiny speck in the vast Cosmos and even though everything we see around us is composed of more fundamental particles that are invisible to us, still the life that we observe on Earth is the only life that we know of in the entire Universe and is therefore worthy of reverence and study."

The class followed Mr. Flaska out of the classroom, through the hall, and out the door leading to the gardens. Decades ago, a group of parents had created the gardens for the pleasure and instruction of the students, and the plantings had been maintained ever since by volunteers who enjoyed working together for the same purposes. The students were mostly unaware of this history, and many of them were not very interested in the various trees, bushes, and flowers that grew in the well-tended garden. Mr. Flaska was aware of this lack of interest and did his best to overcome it by finding connections between what they _were_ interested in and related examples in the garden.

"You may think of a garden as just a static bunch of plants that don't do anything interesting. How wrong that idea is! What's going on all around you is a struggle for survival, like in a computer game."

"How can that be?" asked Jason. "I don't see any fights going on here."

"That's because you can't see underground, where the roots of these plants are competing for nutrients from the soil. The roots of some plants literally strangle the roots of other plants, crowding them out and starving those other plants," explained Mr. Flaska. "Plants must also compete for sunlight, which is required for the photosynthesis that powers plants. How might plants compete? Anyone have an idea?"

"Some plants have really big leaves, to gather lots of sunlight," said Meghan.

"Some plants grow really tall, so that their leaves get first crack at the sunlight," said Kyle. This answer surprised Hermione, who had never heard Kyle express any interest in science class. The answer apparently also stunned Jason, who scowled at Kyle.

"Evergreen plants keep their leaves all year long, so they don't have to spend as much energy making new leaves," said Hermione, not to be outdone.

"Very good, everyone!" exclaimed Mr. Flaska. "Did you computer gamers know that evergreen trees like the pine, cedar, and holly can also use their leaves as weapons?"

"No way!" said Jason.

"Oh, yes!" replied Mr. Flaska. "You see, evergreens' leaves have a higher ratio of carbon to nitrogen than deciduous trees' leaves. The deciduous trees don't grow well in soil with a high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, so by dropping their leaves throughout the year, the evergreens are actually attacking the trees that drop their leaves in the fall."

"You mean that pines and cedars are waging chemical warfare against oaks and maples?" asked Susie.

"Yes, exactly," confirmed Mr. Flaska. "In addition to the ground war, there is aerial combat going on, too. Flowering plants produce pollen, which is spread by the wind and by insects. The more pollen a species produces, the more chances it has to continue to the next generation. Can anyone think of how plant reproduction is like an airborne assault?"

"I have an example," said Kyle, again drawing a scowl from Jason. "When a maple tree is pollinated, it forms seed pods that break off and flutter to the ground, like paratroopers."

"Good one," said Mark, further alarming Jason that his gang was deserting him.

"The pine trees fight back by bombing the maple pods with their cones, then, I suppose," added Jason, figuring that he'd better join in the discussion or risk the break-up of his gang.

"That's right, Jason," said Mr. Flaska. "Now that you all have a better appreciation for the seriousness of the struggles taking place all around you, let's take a walk around the garden and I will show you some other examples of plants' amazing strategies for survival. We'll start with the dahlias."

The class followed Mr. Flaska through the garden. Hermione was glad to see that his explanation of plant adaptations had sparked an increase in interest in most of the class, even in Jason and his cronies. Maybe there is hope for boys after all, she thought to herself.

Ever since Dumbledore's visit in September, Hermione had been working two jobs. Her day job was being a student at the East Molar Junior School, where her friends Susie and Meghan also went and where her favorite teacher was Mr. Flaska, who taught the sciences. Her night job was preparing for her life in the wizarding world, which she hoped and expected to enter formally on September 1, when she boarded the Hogwarts Express. She really enjoyed her friends and her classes at East Molar Junior School, and if she stayed in the non-magical world she thought she would be a scientist or a doctor. Yet, she was also fascinated by what she had learned of the magical world. She felt that she had a knack for doing spells and her experiments with potions had gone well, too. Also, since she had been consciously doing magic she had not had as much trouble with strange things happening to people who made her angry or frightened. If she entered the magical world, she would have other opportunities. Maybe she could even combine Muggle science and magic in some way, perhaps to discover new potions or create new spells.

However, two jobs were getting to be too much for the eleven-year-old girl. She tended to stay up late reading and re-reading the books she had gotten at Flourish and Blotts, or practicing spells that she was learning from _The Standard Book of Spells_ so she was not getting enough sleep.

"Hermione," her mother said one day in March, "you've been looking more and more tired lately. Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes, Mum, I'm okay," she answered. "Just a little tired, that's all." She turned away quickly so that her mother would not see her yawn. Again.

"Well, I'm not so sure. I'm going to make an appointment for you with Dr. Fredericks. Perhaps he'll be able to figure out what's wrong."

"Oh, all right," Hermione said. "Maybe he'll have some time to talk with me about Hogwarts. It's been almost six months since I saw him and I have loads to tell him."

When Harriet Granger called Dr. Fredericks, he didn't have any openings until April, but he agreed to see Hermione in his office on the following Saturday, as a favor to Harriet and because he expected that Hermione was dealing with a number of difficult issues.

Saturday morning was clear, and cooler than it had been all week. The daffodils were making steady progress toward their full glory, and the trees were beginning to show tiny, light green leaves — the tentative, delicate look of late winter and early spring. Hermione and her mother arrived at Dr. Frederick's office for their appointment right on time. The old doctor met them at the door and ushered them into his office, where he invited them to sit on the comfortable leather sofa opposite his desk. Dr. Fredericks pulled his own chair around to the front of the desk to create a cozier atmosphere.

"Well, now, Hermione," began the doctor, "your mum tells me that you've been feeling tired lately. How much sleep are you getting?"

"Maybe eight hours a night," answered Hermione. "I like to read at night, and before I know it, it's going on midnight."

"A girl your age typically needs ten or eleven hours of sleep each night. I know that you have a hunger for knowledge, but your brain also needs rest to function at its best," advised Dr. Fredericks. "How about making it a priority to get at least nine hours of sleep a night, to see if it makes you feel better?"

"That sounds reasonable, Hermione," said her mother.

"But, Dr. Fredericks, it's less than six months until I go to Hogwarts. I'm afraid that the kids who've grown up in the magical world will all know a lot more about magic than I will, and I do _so_ want to do well," said Hermione.

"Hermione, I've known you since you were a little baby," replied the doctor. "As you have grown up, I have been impressed with your intelligence, of course, but also with your eagerness to learn new things and your willingness to work hard at whatever you're interested in. Most children your age, whether witches or wizards, squibs or muggles, do not have your gifts or your motivation. I'm sure you will do very well at Hogwarts. Relax a bit. Play more with your friends. _Get another hour of sleep_!"

"Thanks for believing in me, Dr. Fredericks," said Hermione, obviously touched by what the doctor had said. "I'll make sure to get more rest. It's just that I have school during the day and homework in the evening, so nighttime and weekends are the only time I've got to prepare for next year. And, it's all been so interesting!"

"I understand completely," said Dr. Fredericks. "Tell me, then, what have you learned about magic since I saw you in September?"

Hermione told him all about reading books on magical history, getting her vine-and-dragon-heartstring wand, repairing Susie's cat, enchanting the manger scene, and brewing potions.

"You've learned a lot in six months, young lady!" said the doctor admiringly. "How are you feeling about leaving the Muggle world and entering a world where magic is considered normal?"

"Don, didn't Alfred tell you that we've decided only _tentatively_ to let Hermione go to Hogwarts for a year, to see whether it really is the right place for her?" interjected Harriet. "We don't want Hermione to feel that if she goes to Hogwarts she is committed forever to the magical world and can never return to the life she has known for eleven and a half years."

"Yes, Harriet, Don did mention your plan, and I think it's a good one. I just wanted to check how Hermione was feeling about the transition," said Dr. Fredericks. "Hermione?"

"I'm just so worried about whether I'll do well enough to stay at Hogwarts if I want to," she answered. "I've been enjoying science class with Mr. Flaska this year, and I've been hoping that I might be able to combine science and magic in some way. I'm sure that wizards like Dumbledore must do experiments with spells and potions. Somebody in the past had to invent the hexes and jinxes, charms and curses, love potions and healing draughts that witches and wizards use today."

"That's an important insight, Hermione," the doctor said, smiling. "You have hardly set foot in the magical world, yet already you see magic as an evolving enterprise, to which all knowledge is potentially applicable. That is very wise."

Dr. Frederick's supportive words made Hermione feel more confident about the upcoming year at Hogwarts. She felt more relaxed on the way home with her mother than she had felt in months. That night she decided to experiment with getting an extra hour of sleep. The next morning she had to admit that she did indeed feel better — more energetic and calmer, for starters. She promised herself that she would get that extra hour of sleep on a regular basis.

In the weeks after Hermione saw Dr. Fredericks, Mr. Flaska was continuing to teach the science class about biology. Hermione had read Newt Scamander's _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_, but it occurred to her that she knew nothing about the magical world's view of plants. She had not yet gotten her Herbology book for the next year, _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_, so she got her mother to agree to take her back once again to Diagon Alley, to visit Flourish and Blotts.

It was cloudy and damp on the Saturday late in March when they had planned to make their trip. Harriet and Hermione drove through the light London rain to Charing Cross Road, where they parked once again near The Leaky Cauldron. They hurried into the little pub and on into Diagon Alley. Once again Harriet was reminded of a scene from Dickens by the strange clothes worn by so many of the people around her. She had also not gotten accustomed to the use of lanterns and candles instead of electric lights. A damp gray day made these ancient lighting technologies seem even stranger to her.

Both mother and daughter were glad to reach the warmth of the old book shop, where once again they looked for Libphilius Thicklens. The good fellow was shelving a new book by a Rita Skeeter, _Armando Dippet: Master or Moron?_ When he saw Hermione waving to him, he put down the unshelved copies of the book and came to greet them.

"Hello, there, Mrs. and Miss Granger!" he said in a hearty greeting. "How have you been? How is Mr. Granger?"

"We're all very well, thank you, Mr. Thicklens," said Harriet. "Hermione needs another book, though."

"Which one is that, Miss Granger?" asked the clerk.

"_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore," said Hermione.

"Ah, yes, the first-year Herbology text," said Mr. Thicklens. "Right this way."

Hermione and her mother followed Mr. Thicklens to the textbook section of the shop, where a few copies of the required texts for Hogwarts were still on display. The clerk handed Hermione a copy of Madam Spore's book.

"Will that be all?" he asked.

"I've been wondering, Mr. Thicklens," Harriet began, a little tentatively, "whether there are any books for non-magical parents of magical children. You know, a guide to help us understand our children's special gifts and the challenges they will face."

"We have several books on that topic. The best-seller in this area is Gilderoy Lockhart's _Maxims for Muggles_, but I always recommend _A Muggle Parent's Guide to Rearing a Witch or Wizard Child_, by Wendy Noe Warlock. You'll find it to be full of useful information provided from the perspective of a Muggle mother with three witches and two wizards among her seven children. Of course Mrs. Warlock had the advantage of being married to a wizard, but she faced many of the same issues that you are dealing with, since her husband did not tell her that he was a wizard until their first child began causing the light in his room to turn on and off during the night."

"I'll go with that one, then. Thanks for your guidance, Mr. Thicklens," said Harriet, as she took the recommended book from the clerk and handed him ten Galleons for the two books. Having gotten what they came for, Harriet and Hermione said goodbye to Libphilius Thicklens and left the shop.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I need to get more newt eyes in order to test whether magic is really required to make that Tanning Draught," said Harriet, as they neared the Apothecary. She and Hermione stepped inside the shop and soon found the bulk ingredients section. Harriet picked out three packets of newt eyes and Hermione got several additional ingredients that she had lacked in order to make some of the mixtures described in _Magical Drafts and Potions_. After purchasing their items, they left the shop and made their way quickly to and through The Leaky Cauldron and back to their car.

"Want to bet I can make a Tanning Draught?" Harriet asked her daughter. "I was pretty good in chemistry at university, you know."

"Sure, I'll bet. If you succeed, I'll wash the dishes for a week. If you fail, you'll not nag me to clean up my room for a month," suggested Hermione.

"It's a deal!" agreed Harriet.

When they got home, Harriet went into the kitchen and began following the instructions for brewing Tanning Draught, using the newt eyes she had bought, the ginkgo bark that Hermione had left over, and the other required ingredients.

Hermione headed for her room, where she lay on the bed and began to read _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_. How can anyone remember a thousand of anything, Hermione wondered to herself. She thought that, to be a herbologist, a person would need to have a phenomenal memory.

The introduction to the book, however, was a general discussion of what made a plant magical. According to some scholars, magical properties were like non-magical properties, in that some things had them and some things didn't. Furthermore, when substances with complementary magical properties were combined, the effects were strengthened and new features could emerge. For example, by itself Phinicky Weed juice made the skin alternate between purple and yellow, while Evening Glory seeds caused nosebleed, but if one combined the two ingredients the resulting paste could cure Poison Ivy blisters.

Madam Spore also described a bit of the history of magical herbs and fungi. In the 16th Century the wizards of Romania and the wizards of Serbia went to war for the control of the supply of Forecaster Mushrooms that grew only along the banks of the Danube River near the border between the two regions. These mushrooms were thought to be useful for predicting the future, if stewed with murtlap intestines and eaten at the full moon.

According to Madam Spore, each region of the world has its own special magical plants. Just as some people in a family can be magical and other members not, so some plants in a family can have magical properties, while others do not. This fact historically has caused misunderstandings among the witches and wizards of various countries, when imported plants have turned out not to have the expected properties.

Hermione got tired of reading after an hour or so and went into the kitchen to see how her mother was coming along with the Tanning Draught. Not well, it turned out.

"I did everything the book said," Harriet complained. "The stupid potion even had the right color at each stage. After it seemed to be ready, I sipped a bit, just like you did. When nothing happened, I drank some more. Still nothing. I drank the remainder of the two cups and waited probably ten minutes. No luck. After all that liquid, I had to go pee. Would you believe, it came out brown!"

"Doesn't count!" chortled Hermione. "I win!" The young witch enjoyed not being crabbed at about her room for a whole month — and having further confirmation that she really could brew a magic potion.


	13. St George's Day

**A Witch Awakens**

**by Professor Skrewt**

**St. George's Day**

With winter gone and spring having sprung, the daffodils were in full bloom in the Grangers' garden. Hermione liked sitting in the warm sunshine, studying her magic books. In fact, she spent much of her free time with her books. She was blessed with an excellent memory, so even _A History of Magic_ was interesting, rather than confusing, to her.

"Mum! Dad!" she called to her parents one evening. "Let's go back to Diagon Alley to get the rest of what I need for Hogwarts. I still have to get my robes and a cauldron."

"Let's wait until later to get your robes, Hermione," said her mother. "You're a growing girl, and we don't want your school clothes not to fit you when you go to Hogwarts."

"I guess you're right, Mum, but I still want to get a cauldron and it would be fun to visit some of the other shops. How about going on St. George's Day? That's a holiday at school," suggested Hermione.

"All right, dear," agree Harriet. "It's only a few days from now."

As St. George's Day approached, Hermione's excitement about returning to the magical world increased.

"What are you doing on St. George's Day?" Susie asked her.

"Oh, just some shopping with my mum," Hermione replied. "You?"

"Just hanging out. I got a new CD that I really want to listen to. Want to come over?" Susie inquired.

"Thanks, Susie, but I promised Mum I'd go with her. Maybe another time," said Hermione.

"Sure," said Susie, looking disappointed.

Hermione wished that she could share her excitement with Susie, who, she was sure, would be very interested in learning about the magical world. Hermione realized, of course, that she must not talk about that subject with her friends. She didn't want to get into trouble with the Ministry of Magic even before she got to Hogwarts. Of course Dumbledore's spell, if it had not lost its strength, would prevent her from making that kind of mistake.

At last St. George's Day arrived.

"Oh, I can't wait to see Diagon Alley again!," exclaimed Hermione.

Harriet and Hermione got into their car and headed for Charing Cross Road and The Leaky Cauldron.

"I wonder if wizards celebrate St. George's Day," said Harriet. "They may even believe that story about St. George's killing a dragon."

"There are dragons, you know," offered Hermione. "Maybe he did slay one."

"What?" Harriet asked, incredulously. "Why do you think so?"

"I've read about them in _A History of Magic_," replied Hermione. "There are even some in Britain, but there are a lot more in captivity in Romania. The wizard bank, Gringotts, supposedly has one to guard its high-security vaults."

"Well, pardon me if I'm not convinced!" stated Harriet emphatically.

"Maybe we can ask people about dragons in Diagon Alley," suggested Hermione.

Luckily Harriet found a parking place just across the street from The Leaky Cauldron. She and Hermione went inside and made their way to the door that opened onto the little courtyard. Hermione tapped the bricks, just as before, and once again the gateway formed.

Diagon Alley seemed to be the site of an exuberant celebration, almost like Chinese New Year. As Hermione and her mother looked at the festive crowd, many dressed in outlandish costumes, a huge green dragon breathing real fire came menacingly up the alley toward them, followed by a knight in brilliant silver armor, brandishing a large sword and riding a beautiful white horse.

"Kill the dragon! Kill the dragon!" yelled a boy who looked about the same age as Hermione. The knight spurred his mount on, reached the dragon, and plunged the sword into the side of the beast's chest. The dragon belched a huge flame, then rolled over on its back, breathed out a smaller flame, then a tiny cloud of smoke, and lay still.

"St. George! St. George! St. George!" the boy and the rest of the crowd chanted, as the knight rode his horse around the dragon and waved the bloody sword for all to see.

"That's barbaric and cruel!" Harriet said to Hermione, who nodded in agreement.

Just then, the dragon began to stir.

"Look, they're going to have another go!" said the boy.

Sure enough, the dragon had lurched to its feet, shooting another burst of fire from its mouth. Its wound seemed to have healed miraculously. As the crowd cheered, the dragon lumbered off down the alley, St. George and his horse in pursuit.

"Is that a real dragon?" Hermione asked the boy.

"Nah, it's just a boggart that's been Confunded to think everyone is most afraid of dragons," replied the boy. "Say, I haven't seen you before. My name's Eric. What's yours?"

"Hermione Granger," she answered. "I've read about the Confundus charm in _The Standard Book of Spells_. I'm not starting Hogwarts until next year, though. How about you?"

"The same. I can't wait! My older brother is a second-year student there, and he has learned some awesome magic," Eric informed her.

"Do your parents let you come to Diagon Alley by yourself?" asked Harriet.

"Actually, I live in Diagon Alley. My parents are tailors and we live above the shop," answered Eric. "They do let me walk around in Diagon Alley, but I have to promise not to go into Knockturn Alley."

"What's that?" asked Hermione.

"It's a dodgy place with lots of strange shops and weird people. Borgin & Burkes is supposed to have shrunken heads and severed hands and skulls. Some of their stuff was enchanted with dark magic," Eric informed her.

"You stay out of Knockturn Alley, then, Hermione," said Harriet.

"Don't worry, Mum. It sounds scary!" replied Hermione.

"So, Hermione, why are you in Diagon Alley today?" asked Eric.

"I need to get a cauldron," she answered. "You?"

"I have most of what I need. My dad has fixed up my brother's old robes for me. They look as good as new. I got my wand and potions stuff just last week. Where I really like to go is Gambol & Japes, which sells fantastic stuff for all kinds of practical jokes."

"I hate to think what kinds of mischief wizard kids get up to with what they purchase there!" interjected Harriet.

"Well, I've got to go help my dad clean up the shop," said Eric.

"It was nice to meet you, Eric. Maybe I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express. I can't wait till September 1st!" said Hermione.

"Yeah, me neither. See you, Hermione," said Eric. "You really should at least look in the windows at Gambol & Japes," he whispered as he left.

"Mum, the cauldron shop is right here. Let's go inside and get my cauldron," said Hermione.

"Okay. That shouldn't take long, and then we can get some lunch," her mother answered.

They entered the small shop, which indeed was near the gateway into Diagon Alley. The shop had loads of cauldrons hanging from hooks all around the walls. There were cauldrons of copper, pewter, iron, and brass. There were cauldrons the size of a grapefruit and cauldrons the size of a watermelon and even a cauldron that an adult could climb into. Some cauldrons were claimed to have magical properties, even though Hermione knew from her reading that it's the magical power of the witch or wizard and not any special property of the cauldron that is important in potion-making.

It didnʼt take them long to pick out a cauldron, since all the ﬁrst-year students at Hogwarts got the same kind, due to the fact that self-stirring cauldrons were prohibited in Potions classes.

After paying for the cauldron, Harriet and Hermione left the shop.


	14. Out of the Cauldron, Into the Fire

**A Witch Awakens**

**by Professor Skrewt**

**Out of the Cauldron, Into the Fire**

"Since we're right by The Leaky Cauldron, let's get some lunch before we go home," Mrs. Granger said. "I hope the food is not too strange."

"Great!" said Hermione. "I'm starved!"

Hermione led her mother through the archway into the courtyard onto which The Leaky Cauldron's door opened. Apparently the archway is always open going out of Diagon Alley but not into it, thought Hermione. They entered the pub, which was not very crowded. A toothless old man came up to them, introduced himself as Tom, said he was the proprietor, and showed them to a table. Harriet noticed the state of his teeth but did her best not to stare. Wizards need some good dentists, she thought.

"What would you ladies like to eat today?" Tom asked them. "We have our St. George's Day special: dragon steak and kidney pudding."

"I've never had dragon before," said Harriet. "What does it taste like, giant chicken?"

Tom grinned, his mouth toothless but his eyes friendly. "Why, yes, that about sums it up, don't it?"

"Hermione, what would you like? Pizza? Fish and chips?" asked her mother.

"Do you have fried calamari?" Hermione inquired of Tom.

"Of course," he answered. "One order of fried calamari and one dragon pudding, then?"

"That'll be fine," replied Harriet, "and water for each of us, if you don't mind."

As Tom turned and headed for the kitchen, Harriet asked Hermione, "Where have you had calamari?"

"Oh, at school one day last year. They try to give us an unusual food once a week. Didn't I tell you?" Hermione responded. "The Hogwarts lunch in Professor Dumbledore's memory didn't look very adventurous, but the kids sure had a lot of food to choose from."

In a few minutes Tom brought their food. Harriet found the dragon steak and kidney pudding tastier than she had feared, and Hermione enjoyed her calamari and even a taste of her mom's meal. Tom returned as they were finishing their lunch.

"Would you like a dessert?" he asked. "We have an excellent treacle tart."

"I feel like an ice cream sundae," said Hermione.

"Then you'll have to go to Florian Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. It's across Diagon Alley from Madam Malkin's," Tom informed them.

"That's excellent," said Harriet, "since I want to go back down Diagon Alley to visit some of the other shops."

After they had paid for their lunch and bidden Tom farewell, Hermione and her mother headed for their dessert. They soon reached the ice cream parlour and found seats inside next to the window. A pretty brunette waitress brought them menus that showed witches and wizards happily eating mounds of ice cream topped with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Each time they finished their serving, their dishes were magically refilled and they began eating again.

"Too bad Sisyphus didn't have to eat ice cream instead of pushing a huge boulder," mused Harriet.

"Who's Sisyphus?" asked Hermione.

"You mean you haven't read about Sisyphus?" teased her mother. Harriet then recounted the tale of the greedy and deceitful king of Corinth who was punished by the god Zeus to an eternity of pushing a boulder up a steep hill, only to have it roll back down each time he reached the top.

"Sometimes I feel like that about my homework," said Hermione. "I think I'll have just one scoop of cherry vanilla ice cream with chocolate fudge sauce and a cherry on top."

"And I'll have a nice lemon sherbet," replied Harriet.

Mother and daughter sat by the window, eating their delicious desserts and looking at the people walking up and down the alley. One man hurried past them in a lime green bowler hat, looking harried, and disappeared into Gringotts. They thought they saw the Hogwarts gamekeeper, but he soon turned down a side street and was lost to their view.

At last they had finished their treats, so they looked around for their waitress. The young woman saw them motioning to her and quickly came back to their table.

"Can you tell me a bit about the other shops in Diagon Alley, Miss?" asked Harriet.

"Sure thing, Mum," said the waitress.

The two women chatted for a little while. Harriet was particularly interested in the old junk shop at the end of the alley, since she thought it might have some antique furniture she had been looking for. Harriet paid the waitress and she and Hermione left the little shop.

"Let's go on down to that junk shop so I can look at their furniture," said Harriet. "They may have some antiques worth more in our world than in theirs."

"Aw, mum, that sounds really boring. I want to try out my with some potions from my book. Can't we go home now?"

"No, Hermione. I helped you get your cauldron, and now I just want to take a little more time to look at what _I'm_ interested in," said her mother sternly.

"Oh, all right, then, but please hurry," Hermione replied.

When they reached the end of Diagon Alley and her mother was about to go into the junk shop, Hermione said, "Mum, may I please wait outside?"

"Fine, but don't go wandering off. Stay where I can see you," Harriet responded.

Mrs. Granger disappeared inside the shop. Hermione stood alone, holding her cauldron first in one hand and then in the other. Then she saw Eric, the boy who had been cheering St. George that morning, coming toward her.

"Hi, Hermione!" he said. "Did you get your cauldron?"

"Yes, this is it," she replied.

"May I see?" Eric asked.

"It's the same cauldron all the first-years get. I've already bought lots of books, a potion kit, some gloves, and a wand that I really like, but they're all at home, except for my wand. It's made of vine wood with a dragon heartstring core," Hermione told him. "Here, have a look," she said, about to get out her wand.

As Hermione searched for her wand inside her jacket, a couple of older boys came running toward the end of the alley where they were standing. When the boys saw Hermione and Eric, they came to a halt.

"What have you got there, fur head?" the stockier of the two boys asked Hermione.

"I'll have a look," said the taller, skinnier boy, and he grabbed Hermione's cauldron and danced away from her.

"Give me back my cauldron!" screamed Hermione in a panic.

"Come and get it!" yelled the boys, who bolted up the alley.

Eric ran after them, and Hermione, forgetting her mother's instructions, followed him as fast as she could run. The boys turned into a side street and disappeared for a moment. They had gone down Knockturn Alley. Eric continued to run after the boys.

"No, Eric! That's Knockturn Alley!" she shouted. "We're not supposed to go down there."

"But they have your cauldron!" answered Eric, who kept running.

Hermione, afraid for her friend, ran after Eric and on into Knockturn Alley. The two of them quickly spotted the their two antagonists, who were still holding Hermione's cauldron.

"Relashio!" yelled Hermione, pointing her wand at the hand of the taller boy.

"Ouch!" he cried, and dropped the cauldron. Fearing what other spells the young girl might know, he and his friend ran into one of the shops that lined the alley.

Hermione and Eric hurried forward, and Hermione picked up her cauldron.

"You were amazing!" said Eric. "Where did you learn that spell?"

"I read about it yesterday in _The Standard Book of Spells_," she informed him. "I'm just glad it worked. I was scared that they would steal my cauldron and my mum would be angry with me. Oh — I just remembered that she told me to wait outside that junk shop, not to mention stay out of Knockturn Alley! Why did you run in here, Eric? The cauldron wasn't worth it."

"I didn't want you to lose it, Hermione." Eric said quietly. "I live around here. I feel like your host, you know. Responsible for you."

"Oh, that's sweet of you, Eric," said Hermione, her scolding temper giving way to an appreciation of Eric's concern for her. "I just don't want you or me to get into trouble."

The two kids ran back toward Diagon Alley. When they had reached it and turned left toward the junk shop, Hermione could see her mother looking frantically around for her and calling her name.

"Mum, I'm over here! Two boys grabbed my cauldron, so Eric and I had to follow them. I did a spell that made them drop it and run away."

"Hermione was terrific, Mrs. Granger," said Eric. "You should have seen and heard those big kids scream and drop the cauldron. They won't be bragging about _that_ to their friends."

"Oh, Hermione, I was so worried when I looked outside and you were gone. I would rather lose a cauldron than you," Mrs. Granger said. "Next time, just let the scoundrels go. Don't chase after them. Who knows what they might have done to you? Remember, the magical world is new to us. I didn't even know how to get help."

"All right, Mum," Hermione promised, "I won't go chasing after trouble again."

Eric accompanied Hermione and her mother back to The Leaky Cauldron, where they all said their goodbyes.

"See you, Hermione," said Eric, smiling.

"See you, Eric. Thanks for helping me get my cauldron back," Hermione replied.

"You didn't need any help — it was great, the way you knew so quickly just what spell to use and how to work it. I bet you'll be top of our class at Hogwarts."

Hermione smiled at Eric, a slight flush on her cheeks. Then she and her mother left him and headed back through the pub to their car.

"At least you didn't run off all alone," Harriet told Hermione as they drove home. "Eric seems like a nice boy. It's good to know that you'll have a friend at Hogwarts."

"Yes," agreed Hermione. "One is a lot better than zero."


	15. Testing Friendship

**A Witch Awakens**

**by Professor Skrewt**

**Testing Friendship**

As the end of the school year drew nearer, the kids in Hermione's year were all talking about their plans for the next year, when they would be changing schools. Hermione had been dreading this topic for weeks. What could she say? Nothing about Hogwarts, that was certain. She and her parents eventually worked out a cover story about where she would be going. It was fortunate that they had done so.

"Hermione, I got accepted at Kent! Kent College Pembury, that is!" Susie shrieked excitedly one morning in late May. "I was so worried, 'cause I was just on the waiting list, but I guess someone changed their mind and I got in!"

"That's terrific news, Susie!" responded Hermione.

"You got accepted at Kent ages ago, didn't you?" asked Susie.

"Yes, I did," Hermione admitted reluctantly.

"So we are going to be classmate again!" Susie continued happily.

"No, unfortunately not, at least not right away," Hermione replied softly, dreading Susie's reaction.

"No? What do you mean? Where are you going, then?" demanded Susie.

"Well, it's a long story," said Hermione, remembering the cover story that she and her parents had agreed on. "My mum and dad and I thought it would be good for me to take a gap year and live with my grandparents in the States for a year. I was planning to skip a grade anyway. This way, when I return, I'll be in the same year as you again. Kent allowed me to defer admission."

"Maybe you're the one whose place I'll be taking!" said Susie. "What if they kick me out when you come back?"

"They wouldn't do that!" Hermione assured her friend. "Certainly not after they find out how smart you are. You always ask the most interesting questions in class. My dad says that asking the right questions is the most important thing in science."

"I'll really miss you, Hermione," Susie confided. "You've been a great friend."

"I'll miss you, too, Susie," replied Hermione. "We've had a lot of good times together, haven't we? Talking about science is just part of it. Remember our shopping trip last Christmas?"

"Sure," Susie responded. "That was loads of fun. You were so funny, sneaking looks back at that train layout while I was looking at the dolls."

Hermione gave her a hug, Susie squeezed Hermione in return, and the two girls went on into their first-period science class, each to shy to admit that they meant more to each other than just being science and shopping buddies.

Later that day Hermione's mother picked her up at school at the usual place. Hermione was still upset about having lied to Susie about her plans for the next year.

"Mum, Susie and I have been best friends for years. It's awful that I can't tell her about Hogwarts!" Hermione moaned. "Do you think I could tell her if she promised not to repeat it?"

"No, honey, I don't think that would work," replied Harriet. "Professor Dumbledore's charm has prevented us from talking about Hogwarts for over eight months now. Even when someone says something at work that reminds me of the magical world, I can never respond with what I'm thinking. I'm completely tongue-tied when it comes to that subject."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, Mum," agreed Hermione, a scowl of frustration blooming under her bushy brown bangs.

They arrived home and entered through the kitchen door, as usual. "I guess I'll just go do my homework now," Hermione said glumly. She crossed the kitchen and walked down the hallway toward her bedroom.

Hermione liked her bedroom. She had decorated it with pictures of all the planets, a poster of the periodic table of all the elements, a timeline of important scientific discoveries, and pictures of famous scientists like Newton, Einstein, Darwin, and Hawking. Her Celestron C5 telescope was safe in its case in a corner of the room, and a microscope that her parents had given her for her eleventh birthday was on a shelf of her bookcase. She had a large collection of books about physics, chemistry, astronomy, and biology for "the educated layman", most of which she had read, even though some of them used mathematics that she had not yet studied.

As she looked around the room, she wondered whether people in the magical world knew or cared about science the way she did. Did they not bother to learn chemistry or medicine because they could prepare potions to cure any ailment? Would she really have to choose between a life in science and a life in magic? Even if a knowledge of science was not particularly helpful to a witch or wizard, surely the scientific method of forming hypotheses and testing them through experimentation would be important for advancing magical knowledge, she thought. She comforted herself with the knowledge that Newton himself had devoted much of his life to the study of alchemy. Maybe she would not have to choose, after all.

Hermione also thought about whether she would like living away from her parents, sharing a dormitory room with girls she had never met. She and her parents were particularly close, she felt. They seemed proud of her accomplishments. They even helped her pursue her own interests by buying her things like the telescope and the microscope. They certainly did not yell at her like the parents of some of the kids at school screamed at their children, especially on the football pitch.

Once Hermione was visiting her friend Meghan after school when Meghan's dad came into her room. Mr. Murphy was angry that Meghan had cut some pictures out of one of his _National Geographic_ magazines for the school project that she and Hermione were working on. He grabbed Meghan by the arm and jerked her to her feet, right in front of Hermione. Hermione was terrified, too terrified to say anything to Mr. Murphy. He soon let Meghan go and stormed out of the room. Meghan was shaking with fright and red with humiliation. Hermione tried to comfort Meghan, who slowly calmed down, but she seemed awfully quiet for the rest of the afternoon. Hermione felt ashamed that she had not stood up for her friend, especially since it had been her idea to use pictures from that magazine.

When Hermione got home that evening, she began to wonder whether witches and wizards were kinder than Mr. Murphy, so she got out _A History of Magic_ and began to read about how magical people related to other magical creatures. She learned that goblins, who were skilled craftsmen, had long chafed under the wizard law forbidding them to use wands. Sometimes goblins and wizards had even fought battles over the issue. There had also been conflicts between wizards and giants, who had been forced out of Britain altogether. Of course it didn't help the giants' cause that they were keen on fighting each other. Hermione also read about the exploitation of elves. Apparently some wizard families had gotten very rich in the elf trade, even breeding them in colonies, brainwashing them into accepting their servitude, and then selling them to witches and wizards as domestic servants. It was not a pretty picture, and Hermione wished that she hadn't discovered another dark side of the wizarding world. Learning about Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters had been bad enough. "Maybe someday I'll be able to something about wizards' cruelty to other beings," Hermione told herself hopefully. With that thought in mind, she was eventually able to fall asleep.


	16. The Malfoy Trading Company

**A Witch Awakens**

**by Professor Skrewt**

**The Malfoy Trading Company**

As the summer solstice approached, the weather was getting hot. The Grangers didn't like to use air conditioning, except for really awful days and nights when heat and humidity made sleeping difficult. The windows were open and a nice breeze was blowing fresh air into the kitchen. Hermione and her mom were finishing a leisurely breakfast, now that her dad had left for work. Suddenly there was a loud flapping noise in the back yard, the yowl of a cat, and a screech of indignation. Hermione and Harriet leaped up from the table, rushed to the kitchen window, and looked around to see what all the fuss was about. Under the window, standing in the small window box among the marigolds, was Mr. Jinx, his back arched as he hissed at the intruder. For, perched on the swing set just yards from the kitchen window was an owl. The owl was moving his head from side to side, as if trying to figure a way around the cat and into the window. That's what a good post owl did, after all — deliver letters to their intended recipients — and the intended recipient of the letter the owl was carrying was at that very moment looking out the window guarded by the cat.

Hermione said, "Mum, you'd better get away from the window. I think that owl wants to come in and make a delivery." She then picked up Mr. Jinx, carried him into her room, dropped him onto her bed, and left, shutting the door behind her.

When Hermione got back to the kitchen, the owl had already flown into the room and had made himself at home on top of the refrigerator. When he saw her, the owl swooped down and landed on the kitchen table next to where Hermione had been sitting.

"Shoo, bird!" shouted Harriet. "Get out of my kitchen!"

"Calm down, Mum," Hermione told her mother. "He'll leave as soon as I take the letter that he brought me. I wonder who it's from."

Hermione finally got the letter untied from the owl's leg. The bird lost no time in getting airborne and back out the window, but he only went as far as the swing set, where he appeared to be waiting for something.

Harriet breathed a sigh of relief as she checked the tablecloth for owl droppings.

"The letter's from Eric, Mum," said Hermione. "I wonder why he's writing to me."

She opened the envelope and pulled out the parchment inside.

"Eric's inviting me to visit him in Diagon Alley next Saturday. He says that his parents will both be home and that we can visit some of the other shops with them. May I go?" asked Hermione.

"I suppose so," her mother replied, "but you have to promise me not to get into trouble like last time."

"Oh, Mum, of course I won't get into trouble!" said Hermione, a note of exasperation in her voice. "Let me write a note to Eric before that owl loses patience and leaves."

Hermione got a quill and a piece of parchment from her Hogwarts supplies, wrote a short reply to Eric, and went to the window to call the owl. The bird once again moved its head from side to side and also up and down, making sure there was no cat lurking inside the window, then flew back to its spot on the table. Harriet was not pleased but did not shoo the bird away this time. Hermione tied the note to the bird's leg and stepped back quickly to avoid the opening wings. The owl was soon just a speck in the distance, as it headed back to Diagon Alley.

Hermione wanted to take her wand when she went back to Diagon Alley but she didn't have anything the right size for carrying it. What she really needed, she decided, was some sort of holster on her hip, but that would look weird, so she abandoned that idea.

"Mum, I need something to carry my wand in when I visit Eric," she said. "Could you sew something like a little cloth pocket on the outside of a pair of jeans?"

"Sure," replied Harriet. "That would be easy. I'm surprised that you can't do it by magic," she said with a wink at her daughter. So, Harriet got out her sewing kit, found a piece of denim about the same color as a pair of Hermione's jeans, and soon had fashioned a slender pocket just below the big pocket on the right side of the jeans. She even made a flap with a Velcro fastener to cover the new pocket.

"That's perfect, Mum!" said Hermione. "Thanks loads!" The young witch tried on the jeans and made sure that she could get the wand in and out of the pocket easily.

The following Saturday turned out to be clear, and cooler than earlier in the week. Hermione woke up earlier than usual, excited about her trip back to Diagon Alley to visit Eric. She dressed in a short-sleeved, loose-fitting light blue top and the jeans with the pocket for her wand. After breakfast with her parents, Hermione got ten Galleons from her mother, put her wand into the new pocket, and sat around re-reading _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ until her father was ready to drive her to Charing Cross Road.

In the half hour it took them to get to The Leaky Cauldron, Hermione told her dad about some of the magical creatures she had been reading about — the cat-like Kneazle, the tiny imps and pixies, the frightening dragons, and the most dangerous of serpents, the Basilisk. Mr. Granger was fascinated with Hermione's descriptions of these creatures, so she suggested that he read more about them in her book.

Once more Hermione led the way through The Leaky Cauldron and opened the gateway to Diagon Alley. In his invitation Eric had given directions to his family's tailor shop, which was at the corner of Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley, right across from Gringotts Bank. As they reached the bank, Hermione and her father noticed a large building on the other side of the street with a sign reading "Malfoy Trading Company".

"It must be that little building on the corner, between the Malfoy building and those steps leading down to another street," said Mr. Granger. "Yes, I see the sign for Knockturn Alley."

"And just above the door to the little building there's a little sign for Tom the Tailor," added Hermione.

Another, even smaller, sign that read "Open" was hanging inside the door, so they turned the handle and walked in.

Inside the small shop was a counter, behind which a middle-aged, kind-faced woman was working with her wand to finish patching an old traveling cloak. She looked up as the visitors entered and smiled at them.

"You must be the Grangers," she said. "I'm Bea Barker, Eric's mother."

"Very pleased to meet you, Mrs. Barker," replied Alfred. "I'm Alfred Granger, and this is my daughter, Hermione."

"Eric's told us all about you, Hermione," said Mrs. Barker. "That was quite a spell, the Relashio you performed on the boy who stole your cauldron — especially for someone who has not yet been to Hogwarts."

"I'd just recently read about it. It was the first spell that came to mind when I saw him holding my cauldron," Hermione told her. "I was surprised that it worked so well. That was the first time I'd tried it. _The Standard Book of Spells_ is ever so much easier to learn from than my Muggle schoolbooks, whose pictures don't move or talk."

"Yes, I can see why that would be true," responded Mrs. Barker. "Well, now that we've gotten acquainted, let me call Eric." She waved her wand and a silvery rabbit flew from its tip and up the stairs. In a moment Eric came bounding down the stairs, his face in a big grin.

"Hermione! It's great that you could come visit today. There's loads of stuff I want to show you in Diagon Alley."

Hermione smiled at him. "Hi, Eric," she said.

Just then the front door of the shop opened and a pleasant-looking, somewhat plump man came in, facing the door as he pulled it closed.

"I'm back," he said, turning around to face his wife and son and their guests. "Goodness me, I see the Grangers have arrived! I'm Tom Barker, Eric's dad."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Barker," responded Alfred. "I'm Alfred Granger, and this is my daughter, Hermione."

"Sorry I was not here to greet you," replied Mr. Barker. "Had to deliver some dress robes that Nero Malfoy needed fixed for a party at Malfoy Manor tonight. The Malfoys are a very old and very wealthy family. Fortunately I just had to go next door to his new office to drop them off. It's very posh inside. I couldn't tell what sort of business he does there, and he didn't seem to want to tell me. I guess we'll eventually find out."

"Do you mainly do business with magical folks, Mr. Barker?" asked Alfred.

"Please call me 'Tom'," the other man urged. "But, yes, I do. Not many Muggles — non-magical folks — find their way into Diagon Alley."

"Do you sew by magic, then?" asked Hermione.

"No, my dear, I don't. In fact, I can't. You see, I'm a Squib."

"It must be very difficult to grow up as a Squib in a world in which magic is the norm," observed Alfred. "A good friend of mine is a Squib, I found out just a few months ago."

"Yes, in some ways it is difficult, like being deaf or blind but living among people who take hearing and seeing for granted," replied Tom, "but a loving family can make it much less difficult. My parents encouraged me to make the most of the talents I did have. For instance, I've always been able to imagine how clothes will look on someone and how to cut fabric to create the clothes I imagine. There's no magical substitute for imagination."

"That's right," chimed in Bea. "Tom is much better than I am at knowing what style dress robes will look best on someone. Next to that talent, being able to sew by magic seems insignificant."

"What do you do, Mr. Granger?" asked Tom.

"Just call me 'Alfred', Tom," said Mr. Granger. "I'm a dentist."

"One of those people who yank out rotten teeth?" asked Bea.

"Yes, when I have to," answered Alfred, "but I'm really more interested in helping people keep their teeth and gums healthy."

"Ah, yes," replied Bea. "That's something we witches and wizards have not done well with. We're so used to using magic that we find flossing and brushing too tedious to bother with."

"I must admit I've been appalled at the condition of the mouths of quite a few people I've seen in Diagon Alley," said Alfred. "Maybe I should open a practice one day a week here. However, exploring that idea will have to wait. I have a few errands to run before I pick Hermione up at 4 P.M. this afternoon, so I'd best be going now."

"It's been a pleasure meeting you, Alfred," said Bea.

"We'll see you again later, then," said Tom.

"Bye, Dad," said Hermione.

"See you all back here at 4," said Alfred as he left the shop.

"Why don't you show Hermione around our shop, and also our apartment upstairs, Eric," suggested Bea. "Meanwhile, I'll go up to the kitchen and get some refreshments together."

"OK, Mum," responded Eric. "Let's go upstairs, Hermione. I want to show you my collection of chocolate frog cards. You can learn a lot about wizard history by reading the cards."

"Sure, Eric," said Hermione. "That sounds interesting. What do chocolate frogs have to do with cards, though?" she asked.

"You'll see," replied Eric, heading for the stairs. "C'mon!"

The two kids took the stairs two at a time and soon found themselves in Eric's room. It was decorated with large posters of dragons that Hermione recognized from _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_: the pearly Antipodean Opaleye, the scarlet Chinese Fireball, the Common Welsh Green, the Hebridean Black, the black and ferocious-looking Hungarian Horntail, the green and black Norwegian Ridgeback, the copper and black Peruvian Vipertooth, the green and gold Romanian Longhorn, the silvery-blue Swedish Short-Snout, and the grey Ukranian Ironbelly.

Eric pointed to the poster hanging over his bed and said, "That's an American Gorgon, found only in the state of Wyoming. One look from it and you turn to stone. It's as bad as a Basilisk. Fortunately they're very rare, and may even be extinct by now."

"Maybe that's why Newt Scamander didn't include them in his book," suggested Hermione.

Just then the shop door opened downstairs and the quiet morning was disturbed by a loud, unpleasant voice. "Barker, what were you playing at, bringing me dress robes with clasps that don't stay closed? I've got half a mind to curse you here and now, you miserable Squib!"

"That sounds like Nero Malfoy," whispered Eric. He and Hermione crept out of the bedroom and down the hall toward the stairs. They peeked around the corner of the stairwell and glimpsed Mr. Malfoy, his face red with fury, his eyes narrowed menacingly.

Suddenly Mr. Malfoy drew his wand from within his robes and flicked it at a pair of shears lying on the table on which the Barkers cut material. The shears rose into the air, snapping violently, and headed straight for Mr. Barker.

Hermione, remembering that as a Squib Mr. Barker was unable to defend himself, pulled her own wand out of her pocket and murmured "Acuti Locomotor". At once, every sharp object in the tailor shop began to fly toward Mr. Malfoy — including the shears, since Mr. Barker kept them sharp. Mr. Malfoy cried out in pain as the pins, needles, knives, and scissors began to jab their points into his body. The attacking objects pursued him as he ran out the door of the shop. A few moments later they flew slowly back into the shop, to where they had been when Hermione had commanded them.

Poor Tom Barker was trembling slightly and wiping his forehead with his handkerchief. He sat down, still sweating profusely.

Then Mrs. Barker entered the shop. She had apparently been out shopping, since she was carrying a couple of large bags with various kinds of vegetables poking out.

"What's the matter, Tom? You look like you've seen a Dementor. And what was Nero Malfoy going on about?" she asked her husband. "He said he thought you were a Squib, but now he seems to think you have been hiding powerful magic all these years."

"I...I don't know what happened, Bea," he replied. "Malfoy was angry about the clasps on the cloak I took him and sent a pair of shears at me, but suddenly they turned on him — and were joined by a hoard of sharp objects of all kinds. They were after him like a swarm of angry bees."

Just then Eric and Hermione came down the stairs, grinning broadly.

"How did you like Hermione's jinx, Dad?" asked Eric. "I told you she could do amazing things."

"You set those knives and things on Nero Malfoy, Hermione?" asked Mr. Barker.

"Yes, Mr. Barker, " she admitted. "I was afraid that the shears would hurt you, so I tried a spell to make them move back toward Mr. Malfoy. I didn't expect all the other sharp objects to go after him also."

"Well, you saved me from serious injury, Hermione. I can't thank you enough," said Mr. Barker. "I do wonder, though, whether Nero Malfoy will try to retaliate somehow. The Malfoys are a powerful family."

"If we're lucky, old Nero will calm down enough to realize that you could not have done such magic and that a more likely explanation is that, in his anger, he simply did the spell wrong," said Mrs. Barker.

"I sure hope you're right, Mrs. Barker," said Hermione earnestly. "I don't want you and Mr. Barker to get into trouble."

"Don't worry about it, dear. I'm sure we'll be perfectly safe, once Nero calms down," said Mr. Barker. "Why don't you show Hermione around Diagon Alley, Eric?"

"Good idea, Dad," replied Eric. "Let's go, Hermione!"

As soon as they were outside the shop, Eric and Hermione began to discuss the incident with Mr. Malfoy as they walked along looking into the shop windows. Their conversation soon moved on to Mr. Malfoy himself.

"How did Nero Malfoy get so rich?" wondered Eric. "He's awful to do business with. Always grouchy, expects special treatment, wants to pay less than other people."

"Do you have any idea what kind of business the Malfoy Trading Company does?" asked Hermione.

"Nope, not a clue," answered Eric. "The curtains are always drawn across their front windows. We see a few people going in and out. Lots of owls, though."

"What about the side or back windows?" asked Hermione.

"I've never been back there," Eric replied. "Why don't we have a look?"

"OK," responded Hermione. "Isn't there a narrow passageway between your shop and Malfoy's building?"

"Yes," said Eric. "Let's check it out."

The two young friends headed back toward the tailor shop, but stopped at the gap between the shop and the Malfoy Trading Company. There was just enough room for a small person to squeeze between the brick walls of the two buildings.

"You ready?" asked Eric.

"Let's go," said Hermione.

Eric went in first, followed closely by Hermione. They inched along, looking for windows and other openings but there were none. Eric and then Hermione emerged from the end of the passageway into the space behind the tailor shop. The Malfoy building went on a few more feet, stopping about ten inches from another building that met it at an angle. The two kids peeked around the corner of the Malfoy building.

"There's a small space between the Malfoy building and two other little buildings, then another building comes out even further," said Eric.

"But it looks like there's a small opening there also," replied Hermione. "Let's see if we can get through there."

Both kids struggled to get between the Malfoy building and its neighbor, and soon found themselves in a tiny triangular space, which they crossed in a few steps. Their path was almost blocked by the third building, which was also taller than its neighbors.

"Still no windows in the Malfoy building," observed Hermione.

"Nope," responded Eric. "Let's go on and maybe we'll have better luck."

They managed to get through the narrow opening between the Malfoy building and its third neighbor, and into an oddly-shaped space formed by those two buildings and a couple of other buildings, one on Diagon Alley and the other on Knockturn Alley.

"It's scary back here, Eric," murmured Hermione. "Do you think it's safe?"

"Don't worry, Hermione," he said. "If anyone comes after us, we can go back the way we came. Most adults are too big to fit through those gaps between the buildings."

Eric and Hermione gazed around at the backs of the four buildings.

"There's a little sign over the back door of the building we just squeezed past," said Hermione. "Can you read it?"

"Yes," replied Eric. "It says, 'Borgin & Burkes'. They're supposed to sell things with terrible curses on them, banned substances like unicorn horn, and stuff for dark magic. That's one of the reasons my parents have forbidden me to go into Knockturn Alley."

The young friends walked toward the end of their enclosed area, which continued around the side of Borgin & Burkes. As they neared the corner of that building, they saw an amazing sight: a fenced-in area with dozens of small, naked creatures, some sitting, some standing, some hanging onto the fencing, all looking very unhappy. Some seemed to be crying, but no sound reached the two kids.

"House elves!" exclaimed Eric. "They don't look very happy, do they?"

"No, they don't," responded Hermione. "I bet someone has put a silencing charm on them to hush them up. I've never read about house elves. Why are they called that?"

"Some wealthy families have house elves as servants," answered Eric. "They have their own kind of magic and they're supposed to be very good at doing domestic chores like cooking and cleaning."

Just then a door at the far left corner of the Malfoy building began to creak open. Hermione and Eric quickly hid behind some old wooden crates that were stacked up behind Borgin & Burkes. Half a dozen house elves emerged from the Malfoy Trading Company, followed by a couple of wizards with their wands drawn.

"Get back in the pen, you miserable creatures," said the first wizard, who kicked one of the elves in the bottom. "Mr. Avery wasn't impressed with your attitudes. If you want to get into a decent house, you'd better shape up."

"Easy, Crabbe, we don't want to bruise the merchandise," said the second wizard as he opened the door of the holding pen. "Old Nero won't like it if he can't sell all of this shipment."

Eric and Hermione looked at each other in horror.

"All right, Goyle," I'll go easy on the little devils," groused Crabbe, as he and Goyle went back inside the Malfoy building.

"The Malfoys are house elf slave traders!" whispered Hermione. "The slave trade was outlawed by British Muggles in 1807. How can the Ministry of Magic allow this?"

"I don't know!" said Eric. "Let's get back and tell Mum and Dad. Maybe they'll know what's going on."

"First let's see if we can free those poor elves," urged Hermione.

"But how can we? The door to the pen looks locked," said Eric.

"There's a spell called _Alohomora_that opens locked doors. I practiced it at home when I forgot my house key, and it worked for me. Shall I try it?" offered Hermione.

"Sure, go for it!" said Eric.

Hermione quietly approached the pen as the elves looked on suspiciously.

"Alohomora!" she commanded, and the door to the pen swung open, but the elves were cowering in the corner of the pen, apparently afraid to claim their freedom.

"Come on, hurry!" Hermione urged the elves. "Those men may come back to get more of you any moment!"

"Where can we go, Miss?" squeaked one of the naked elves. "We is not having any home. We is being on a ship until last night."

"Eric! What shall we do? They have no place to go," Hermione said, distress in her voice.

"I know it seems awful, but I think we have to leave them here and go back and tell Mum and Dad," replied Eric. "Let's get out of here!"

"I'm so sorry to leave you like this," Hermione said to the elves, her eyes filling with tears. "I'll close the door so those men won't think you tried to escape."

Hermione pushed the door closed and turned back to Eric. Just then Mr. Crabbe appeared at the door to the Malfoy building again.

"Hey, you kids! What d'ya think you're doing? Get away from there!" he yelled as he advanced toward them, getting out his wand.

Hermione and Eric turned and ran back the way they had come, squeezing quickly past the corner of Borgin & Burkes, an impossible feat for the stout Mr. Crabbe. A couple of spells hit the back of Borgin & Burkes, just missing the fleeing children. They ran across the small triangular space and managed to get through the narrow space at the corner of the Malfoy building also. Down the narrow passageway they ran, their shoulders brushing the brick walls as they fled.

At the end of the passage they stopped, looked quickly to their left to make sure no one was coming out of the Malfoy building, then ran out into Diagon Alley and turned quickly into the tailor shop.

"Whew! That was close!" said Eric.

"It sure was!" agreed Hermione.

Mrs. Barker was working in the shop when Hermione and Eric burst in.

"Where have you two been? Did Eric give you a good tour of Diagon Alley, Hermione? I know he was looking forward to showing you the Gambol & Japes joke shop," said Mrs. Barker.

"Mum! Listen! We found out what Nero Malfoy's business is — he's a slave trader! He gets house elves off ships and brings them to a pen behind his building!" shouted Eric excitedly.

"That's right, Mrs. Barker," confirmed Hermione. "There are dozens of naked house elves locked in his pen right now! We saw them. We even tried to free them, but they were afraid to leave the pen because they had nowhere to go. Can't we do something to help them?"

"What's this I hear about the Malfoys trading in house elves?" said Mr. Barker as he came down the stairs from the upper floor of the shop.

"Yes, Dad, the Malfoy Trading Company is selling house elves as slaves!" exclaimed Eric.

"We saw two men named 'Crabbe' and 'Goyle' returning six elves to the pen because a man named 'Avery' did not want to buy them," added Hermione. "Mr. Crabbe even kicked one of the elves. We've got to help them!"

"I'm afraid you two kids don't understand what you're up against in dealing with the Malfoys," said Mr. Barker sadly. "They have run roughshod over people like us, as well as creatures like house elves, for centuries. I must admit that the Muggles have done a better job of preventing such cruelty than the magical world has."

"Your father's right, Eric," said Mrs. Barker. "The Malfoys amassed great wealth from the slave trade, smuggling rum for the Muggles, and attacking ships as pirates. They've used their wealth to protect themselves from prosecution by the Ministry of Magic. They give money to St. Mungo's Hospital and to Hogwarts School, for example, making themselves appear to be public-minded citizens. For Nero's son Lucius sit on the Boards of Governors of Hogwarts. People are afraid that they must please the Malfoys in order to protect the institutions that we all depend on."

"Some people even think the Malfoys bribe Ministry officials to look the other way when they're doing their illegal business," concluded Mr. Barker. "I don't think we would get very far in pursuing the Malfoys through the Ministry's Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"That's really rotten, Mr. Barker!" exclaimed Hermione. "Maybe when Eric and I finish Hogwarts we can join the Ministry and change the way it operates."

"Well, good luck with that worthy ambition, young lady!" said Mr. Barker. "Perhaps you'll be able to succeed where my generation has failed. There's something else that you should know: the Malfoys were rumored to be supporters of You-Know-Who when he was powerful. That's another reason that people are afraid to challenge them."

"Do you mean Lord Voldemort?" asked Hermione.

"We do not speak his name," said Mrs. Barker.

"Oh, right, I read about that in _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_," replied Hermione.

Just then the door of the shop opened and Alfred Granger entered.

"Hello!" he said. "I'm a bit early, but I wanted to be sure I could get into Diagon Alley. Fortunately, after I parked the car I saw a man in a scarlet cloak walking along Charing Cross Road, so I followed him right into The Leaky Cauldron and on into Diagon Alley. I'm surprised you don't get more Muggles tailgating their way in here."

"Sometimes we do, but Ministry witches spot them, perform a quick memory modification charm on them, and lead them back onto Charing Cross Road," replied Mr. Barker.

"Oh, that's why that woman came up to me just outside the Apothecary," said Alfred. "She asked if I was lost, so I explained that Hermione was starting Hogwarts in September and that she was visiting the son of Tom the Tailor. Well, when she heard that, she could not have been more helpful. She made sure I knew exactly where the shop was, and even suggested that I try the ice cream at Florian Fortescue's before leaving today."

"That sounds like an excellent idea to me!" said Mr. Barker. "Let's all go. It will be my treat."

"Great!" said Hermione and Eric together. For a few moments, as the two families left the shop, the two kids forgot about the problems of the house elves. Nevertheless, it was an experience that had affected Hermione deeply and one that she would tell her father about during their journey home later that day.


	17. Last Visit to Diagon Alley

**A Witch Awakens**

**by Professor Skrewt**

**Last Visit to Diagon Alley**

June morphed into July, but still the Grangers had not made their final decision about Hermione's spending at least one year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They had all learned a great deal about the magical world since that day the previous September when Albus Dumbledore had brought the letter offering Hermione a place at his school. Still, Harriet and Alfred were not quite ready to convert their tentative commitment to a final decision. So much seemed to be riding on that decision.

By late July Hermione was getting worried about whether her parents would allow her to go to Hogwarts after all. They had both been very helpful to her as she prepared herself by practicing spells and brewing potions, but they seemed not quite reconciled to her leaving home.

"Mum? Dad?" she began tentatively one evening. "Shouldn't you be making up your minds about my going to Hogwarts? If I'm going to attend, we have to send in those forms, remember?"

"Yes, yes, we know," said her father, looking up from his newspaper.

"What exactly are you and Mum worried about, Dad?" asked Hermione. "Don't you believe that magic is real?"

"Yes. Yes, we do," admitted Alfred. "After witnessing what you have been able to do with your wand and your potions, we have no choice but to believe the evidence of our senses."

"What is bothering you, then?" persisted Hermione. "Don't you think that Hogwarts is the right school for me, at least for a year?"

"We don't know as much about Hogwarts as we would like," responded Harriet, "although we have read _Hogwarts: A History_, as you suggested, and we know that Dr. Fredericks thinks it is a wonderful school. No, it's not Hogwarts that bothers us."

"What is it, then? Why can't you decide, at least for the first year?" demanded Hermione.

"We're concerned about your future, Hermione," said her father. "We want what's best for you, for your education, for your career, for your happiness. We just don't feel comfortable with the magical world yet, despite our trips to Diagon Alley and our interactions with Professor Dumbledore, the Barkers, and Mr. Thicklens."

"And you are so young, Hermione," burst out Harriet. "so young to be leaving home!"

"But loads of my classmates are going off to school next year!" exclaimed Hermione. "You were willing to let me go to Kent College Pembury."

"I know, Hermione," said her mother, "but we understand how Pembury works. We have friends whose children have gone there. It's not so, uh, _strange_ a place as Hogwarts."

"So that's it, is it?" screamed Hermione, giving up trying to be persuasive. "You think Hogwarts is strange, the magical world is strange, and probably that _I'm strange_! You've let me prepare for Hogwarts all year and now you're just too narrow-minded to let me go!" With that, Hermione, tears of frustration streaming down her cheeks, ran from the room and into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

"That didn't go very well," sighed Alfred.

"No, I'm afraid we've really disappointed her," agreed Harriet. "Do you think we _are_ being narrow-minded in resisting her going to Hogwarts?"

"I think we can't help being narrow-minded. Our experience of the magical world _is_ narrow, after all," replied Alfred. "The question is, should we overcome our lack of understanding by taking a leap of faith and letting her go? Are we confident enough in Don Fredericks' judgment and in Professor Dumbledore's goodness to swallow our reservations and let her go for at least the first year? Are we risking lasting harm to her by letting her try it out?"

"When you put it that way, it seems that we're being held back by our own timidity," said Harriet. "I suppose we should let her try her magical wings, then. Another reason to send her to Hogwarts, of course, is that we don't have any other alternative for teaching Hermione how to control her own magical powers. It was getting scary at times, when she almost hurt somebody and we had to explain what had happened. I'm sure it will just get worse as she gets older, if we don't do something about it."

"Right," agreed Alfred. "And finally there's the positive aspect of her learning magic. She clearly has these magical gifts or powers or whatever you want to call them. She almost has a right to develop those talents and we a duty to help her develop them. Maybe she'll be able to lead a more fulfilling and productive and happy life because she is able to focus all of her abilities to accomplish the things that are important to her."

"I guess you've right, Alfred," said Harriet. "Let's call her back in and tell her that we've decided to let her spend the next school year at Hogwarts."

"Okay," said Alfred. "I'll get her."

When Alfred knocked on his daughter's door, a distraught Hermione answered, "What do you want?"

"I have some good news for you, sweetheart," said her father.

"What is it?" asked Hermione, sounding a little calmer.

"Come back into the living room so that your mother and I can explain," said Alfred.

In a couple of minutes, Hermione, her eyes still red, rejoined her parents.

"What else do you need for starting at Hogwarts, Hermione?" asked Harriet.

"You mean, you've decided I can go?" squealed Hermione.

"Yes, indeed," confirmed her father. "We still have some qualms about it, but we agree that, all things considered, it's the best thing for you."

"And we don't think you're strange," Harriet added. "We think you're wonderful!"

That evening Hermione watched her parents as they filled out the parchment forms for accepting Hogwarts' offer of admission. The Doctors Granger signed the completed forms and put them into the envelope that had come with the offer.

The next morning Hermione ran with the stampless envelope to the post box down the street from their house. With the thrill of performing a momentous act, she quickly put it through the slot.

At last she would be going to Hogwarts!

A few days later Hermione was lying on her bed, re-reading the list from Hogwarts for about the hundredth time. Suddenly she jumped up and ran into her mother's room. "Mum! We've got to go back to Diagon Alley to get my robes. I hope it's not too late! When can we go?"

"How about Saturday?" her mother replied.

"Great!" said Hermione. "Oh, I do hope we haven't waited too long!"

The following Saturday Harriet and Hermione headed back to Diagon Alley. They entered in the usual way and walked the short distance to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. They entered the shop and were greeted warmly by Madam Malkin herself, who looked very elegant in her light gray robes with silver trim and a large, silver, star-shaped broach pinned prominently above her heart.

"Good morning, ladies," said Madam Malkin. "How may I assist you this morning?"

"Good morning," responded Harriet. "Are you Madam Malkin?"

"Why, yes, I am. This must be your first time in my shop." answered Madam Malkin. "Does the young lady need robes for Hogwarts?"

"Yes, she does. I'm Harriet Granger, by the way, and this is my daughter, Hermione. I hope it's not too late to get robes for Hermione for the upcoming school year."

"No, there's still enough time to get her what she needs, Mrs. Granger," Madam Malkin assured Harriet.

"My Hogwarts letter said that I needed three black work robes, a plain pointed black hat, and a black winter cloak with silver fastenings. Can we get all those things here, Madam Malkin?" inquired Hermione.

"You certainly can, Miss Granger," Madam Malkin told Hermione."

"Shall we look at robes first, then?" Harriet asked Madam Malkin.

"Yes, right this way," the proprietor said, leading them toward the left side of the shop. "There are few choices to be made in work robes. I suggest this light-weight but durable and wrinkle-free robe made from Polycotton. Would you like to try it on?"

"Yes, please," said Hermione. "I want robes that don't require much time to care for."

Hermione tried on a couple of sizes before she found one that suited her.

"Hmm, that looks a little long. Let me pin it up for you," offered Madam Malkin, who began to work around the bottom of the robe that Hermione was wearing. "There, how's that look?" she asked Harriet, who was standing back to get a better view.

"Fine. I'm just surprised that you don't just, you know...wave a wand to make it fit right," admitted Harriet.

"Oh, certainly I _could_ do that, but I like the Muggle way better, actually. It seems more personal to do it with my hands, instead of my wand," she told Harriet.

"Can you sell us three just like this one, then, or do you need to pin each one?"

"Oh, yes, 'Pin once, make thrice' is my motto. I pride myself on my Duplication charm," said Madam Malkin.

"Can we look at cloaks now?" asked Hermione. "What choices do I have there?"

"Of course, Miss Granger. Follow me, please," the proprietor said.

Hermione and her mother made their way to the other side of the store, where a variety of brightly-colored cloaks in a variety of styles and fabrics were on display.

"The main choices you have are fabric, lining, and fastener, dear," Madam Malkin informed Hermione. "I suggest Polywool outer shell with Polyyeti fur lining."

"Are all your fabrics Poly-something-or-other?" asked Hermione.

"No, not all," Madam Malkin said. "The Poly fabrics are fairly new. Some wizards in Scotland found a variation of Polyjuice Potion that can be given to sheep to change their wool into whatever material is desired. They then apply a severing charm to the stuff before it can change back into ordinary wool. The potion also includes a rapid-growth ingredient that speeds up the process considerably, making the resulting fiber less expensive to produce and the fabric less costly."

"Is Polywool easy to clean?" asked Harriet.

"All our fabrics are easy to clean. In fact, there's no cleaning required, since we apply an Impervius charm to each garment to make it completely incapable of picking up dirt, grease, and so on," Madam Malkin assured them.

"That sounds wonderful!" said Harriet. "So, Hermione, shall we go with the Polywool shell and Polyyeti lining?

"Sure," said Hermione. "That just leaves the fastener. What are the choices?"

"Look in that display case," answered Madam Malkin, pointing to a cabinet containing a variety of silver and gold ornaments. "Do you see anything you like?"

"Yes. How much is that silver cat, there in the back?" Hermione asked her.

"Only 2 Galleons, 10 Sickles, but it is real Andean silver," the proprietor told her proudly.

"Is that OK, Mum?" asked Hermione.

"I suppose so," said Harriet.

"Thanks, Mum. We'll take the silver cat, then, Madam Malkin. I still need a hat, though" Hermione reminded the two women.

"That's easy," said Madam Malkin. "We carry just one variety of the black, pointed type. Students are always throwing them into the air to cheer something or other, and it's just simplest if they're all alike. Our hat is truly one-size-fits-all, but not in the Muggle way, with those silly straps in the back. No, our hat resizes itself to fit the head of whoever is wearing it."

"Great! We're all done, then," said Hermione.

"How much will we need to pay for three robes, the cloak with fastener, and the hat?" inquired Harriet.

"Let's make it simple," Madam Malkin said kindly. "I will take off the Sickles from each item. That will make, let's see, three times four for the robes, plus six for the cloak, plus two for the fastener, plus one for the hat..."

"Twenty-one Galleons, then," asserted Hermione, before Madam Malkin could finish her arithmetic.

"Right, Miss Granger. I see that Hogwarts is getting a fine student," confirmed Madam Malkin.

Hermione blushed a little as she smiled. It was nice to know that some of the skills she had learned as a Muggle would be useful in the wizarding world.

"It will take me a little while to finish your robes and cloak, so you can pick them up this afternoon. Is that all right?"

"Certainly," said Harriet.

After they left Madam Malkin's, Harriet and Hermione headed to Flourish and Blotts to get the last of Hermione's school books. As usual, Libphilius Thicklens came forward to help them.

"One last visit to Diagon Alley before boarding the Hogwarts Express, Miss Granger?" asked the genial clerk.

"Yes, Mr. Thicklens," answered Hermione. "I still need _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection _by Quentin Trimble. Do you have it in stock?"

"Of course," replied Mr. Thicklens. "You know where to look by now, I expect," he said, noticing that Hermione was already walking toward the Hogwarts section. When she picked up a book, he continued, "Yes, that's it. Fortunately the subject is not as important as it used to be, is it? We've had no sign of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named since little Harry Potter finished him off."

"No, and I hope he never comes back," said Hermione. "I do have one question about what we call him, though. Maybe you can help me with it, Mr. Thicklens."

"I'll try," replied the clerk.

"Why don't people say, 'We've had no sign of _Him_-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'? Wouldn't that be better English?" the girl inquired.

"I don't know how we got started using _He_ instead of _Him_ in such cases, my dear. Maybe _The Daily Prophet_ first used the phrase to describe You-Know-Whom-I-Mean," suggested Mr. Thicklens. "They sometimes prefer being clever to being grammatical."

"That would explain it, or perhaps they think of the phrase as a single noun," said Harriet, as she handed Mr. Thicklens some Galleons for the book, which the clerk put into a bag that he handed to Hermione.

"Goodbye, Mr. Thicklens," said Hermione, waving. "You've been very helpful to us this past year. I really appreciate it."

"Good luck at Hogwarts," said the clerk. "I hope to see you again next year."

Mother and daughter left the book shop and wandered around Diagon Alley until they got hungry.

"Would you like some more calamari?" asked Harriet.

"Why don't we look for another place to eat," replied Hermione. "I didn't like all the smoke in The Leaky Cauldron."

"Good idea," agreed Harriet. "I noticed a little place called _The Bubbling Cauldron_ that serves soups. Let's eat there."

Harriet led the way to the restaurant, which was squeezed in next to Eeylops Owl Emporium. Soon they were seated by a pleasant young hostess, and enjoying the enticing odors coming from the single large cauldron in the center of the room. The hostess brought them menus, which they eagerly examined.

"There must be a hundred soups on this menu!" exclaimed Harriet, "but there's only one cauldron. Do you suppose that cauldron is only for decoration, and the soups are all made back in the kitchen?"

"Madam, this room _is_ the kitchen," said a short man with a large black mustache and bald head, who had approached their table while they were reading the long menus. "I am Alphonse, the proprietor of this establishment and the inventor of the _Multigustibus _spell. Perhaps you have heard of it?"

"No, I'm afraid not, Monsieur Alphonse," admitted Harriet. "It's my daughter who is the witch in the family, and we're here in Diagon Alley buying the last of the supplies for her first year at Hogwarts."

"No apology is necessary, madam," said Alphonse. "I will explain. Many years ago I was a poor man, with hardly a Galleon to my name. Most evenings I had to eat soup for supper, and I was getting bored with the small selection in the shops. So, I borrowed some books on spells, potions, herbs, and transfiguration and set about inventing a spell that, with the right ingredients, could enchant a cauldron to produce any soup a hungry person might desire."

"That sounds like very creative magic," said Hermione. "But how can you serve more than one soup at a time?"

"Ah, that is the interesting part," replied Alphonse. "The trick is to put into the cauldron just a little bit of every ingredient of every soup on the menu, plus a sprig of the Multiferous fern. When a customer chooses a soup, say mulligatawny, I simply tap the cauldron, say 'Multigustibus mulligatawny,' dip my ladle into the cauldron, and bring it back out, filled with the delicious mulligatawny soup that my customer desires."

"Why do you need to put in every ingredient of every soup? Isn't there a spell for creating whatever food you need?" asked Harriet.

"Creating food out of nothing is one of the five exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. You have to have some of each ingredient to start with, but you don't need a lot. Thanks to the Multiferous fern, you also don't use up any of the original ingredients but instead just copy them, making as much as you need. Discovering the properties of that fern was the key step, since before I began to use it, I had to reload the cauldron each time."

"Wow!" exclaimed Hermione. "Would you please serve me some creamy mushroom soup? I can't wait to taste it!"

"And I would like a hearty potato and leek soup," said Harriet, "with a little sherry."

"Excellent choices!" enthused Alphonse, who walked over to the cauldron, tapped it with his wand, said "Multigustibus creamy mushroom", dipped his ladle into the cauldron, pulled it out again, and emptied its contents into one of the bowls stacked beside the cauldron. He did the same thing for the second soup, except that he said "Multigustibus hearty potato and leek with a little sherry." A moment later, two bowls of steaming soup were sitting in front of the two hungry ladies.

"Mmm, this smells fantastic!" said Hermione, as she picked up her spoon and began to eat. "Oh, it _is_ good! How's yours?" she asked her mum.

"Excellent!" said Harriet. "Really excellent! I'm surprised this place isn't more crowded."

Hermione and her mother sat chatting and eating their soup, all the while marveling at the variety of soups that Alphonse was getting from his cauldron. When they had finished, Alphonse came over to their table.

"Well, how did you like my soups?" he asked.

"Mine was wonderful!" Hermione and Harriet said in unison.

"I am so pleased that you enjoyed them," replied Monsieur Alphonse, "and I hope that you will come back again."

"We certainly will," said Harriet, as her daughter nodded in agreement.

After leaving The Bubbling Cauldron, Harriet and Hermione walked back to Madam Malkin's to pick up Hermione's robes, cloak, and hat. As she had promised, Madam Malkin had them all ready. Hermione tried on one of the robes and the cloak, while Harriet made sure that they fit.

"They fit perfectly, Madam Malkin," observed Harriet. "You do excellent work."

"Why, thank you, Mrs. Granger," responded Madam Malkin. "I do take pride in the quality of my robes and cloaks. There is no excuse for poor workmanship."

"I quite agree," said Harriet.

The two customers and the proprietor walked over to the cash register, where Harriet counted out the twenty-one Galleons that Hermione had calculated and handed them to Madam Malkin, saying "Thanks very much for your help today."

"It was a pleasure to do business with you and your daughter, Mrs. Granger," said Madam Malkin, as she accompanied them to the door of her shop. "Do come again. I'm sure your daughter will grow so much in the next year that she will need new robes for her second year at Hogwarts."

For some reason, that statement did not bother Harriet as much as she expected. Perhaps, she thought, I'm getting used to having a witch for a daughter.


	18. Heading to Hogwarts

**A Witch Awakens**

**by Professor Skrewt**

**Heading to Hogwarts**

With about two weeks to go before she would be boarding the Hogwarts Express for her first year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hermione began to get more nervous about going. Would she do well or be hopeless? Would she have friends or feel lonesome and homesick? Would she like her teachers and her classes, or would the teachers be mean and the classes too hard or confusing, or just boring? All these thoughts and more were going through her mind when she finally decided she needed to talk with someone who knew both the world she was leaving and the world she was entering. The obvious person was Dr. Fredericks, who had magical parents but was himself a non-magical Squib.

"Dad, you've been friends with Dr. Fredericks for a long time," began Hermione one evening after dinner with her parents, as she and her father were cleaning up after the supper that her mother had prepared. (Hermione was glad that her parents shared domestic chores like cooking and cleaning, although each of them had his or her own unique responsibilities.)

"Yes, Don and I have known each other since I was a kid. He was our family doctor also," explained Alfred.

"Well, would you mind arranging another appointment for me to talk with him?" asked Hermione, with a worried look.

"Oh? Are you having second thoughts about going to Hogwarts?" inquired her father.

"No, not second thoughts, really. I very much want to go," Hermione said. "It's just that I'm worried whether I'll do well enough and have friends and everything. It will be so different from what I'm used to."

"I understand your concerns, sweetheart," said Alfred gently. "Before I went to boarding school I was very nervous about leaving my family and friends, and I wondered whether I would do well, but I did fine, and I'm sure you will, too."

"Thanks, Dad," said Hermione, giving her father a hug. "Still, I would like to talk with Dr. Fredericks again, since he knows so much more about Hogwarts and the magical world than you and Mum and I do."

"All right, I'll see whether Don can see you soon," promised Alfred.

After they finished doing the dishes, Alfred did indeed call Dr. Fredericks, who offered to talk with Hermione the very next afternoon.

"Good news, Hermione," announced Alfred after he had finished speaking with his friend Don. "Dr. Fredericks was already planning to be in his office catching up on his reading and he said he could use a break at 2 PM tomorrow."

The next afternoon the three Grangers drove to Dr. Fredericks' office. As usual, he greeted them at the door and ushered them into his study. The room had warm, soft lighting and was the sort of place that made Hermione want to curl up with a good book. This time, Alfred and Harriet sat on the sofa and Hermione took a seat in a comfortable arm chair, while Dr. Fredericks sat in a well-worn wing-backed chair that was obviously his favorite.

"I hear you're still planning to be on the Hogwarts Express come September 1st, Hermione," said the physician.

His manner put Hermione at ease, as it always did, so she knew she would feel comfortable explaining what was bothering her.

"Yes, Dr. Fredericks, I've been reading about Hogwarts and the magical world for almost a year now," answered Hermione, "I'm eager to see what Hogwarts is really like, first hand."

"But you still wanted to see me. What's on your mind? I do hope you are getting enough sleep," continued Dr. Fredericks.

"Hermione has been much better about getting to bed at a reasonable hour, Don," interjected Harriet. "Of course, it's easier for her during the summer months."

"That's good. Sleep is very important," said Dr. Fredericks. "But tell me, Hermione, what's troubling you? Are you still worried about whether you'll do well at Hogwarts?"

"Some, although I've almost memorized all of my textbooks and I've practiced some spells and brewed a few potions," replied Hermione, "so I'm not as worried about that as I was when I saw you last March."

"That's good to hear," said the doctor. "As I told you then, I'm sure that you will do very well at Hogwarts."

"What does worry me is whether the other kids won't have anything to do with me because I'm Muggle-born," confessed Hermione. "Will I have any friends? How will I get along with my teachers?"

"You won't be the only first-year student with Muggle parents, Hermione," Dr. Fredericks assured her. "You'll definitely be in the minority, but you won't be alone."

"That's good to hear," said the worried young witch, "but won't the wizard kids make fun of us?"

"Some will, but most will not bother you, and some will even be your friends, I promise you," said the doctor. "Most kids, wizard-born or not, have worries much like yours, but almost all such concerns turn out to be baseless. Of course, some kids will tease other children, call them names, and so on, but most kids are kind and some are even brave enough to defend kids who are getting picked on. Also, most of the teachers at Hogwarts are on the alert for signs of bullying, and put an end to it when they see it. You've met Professor Dumbledore, so you know what an exceptionally kind person he is. I think you will also very much like Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout. They will soon recognize that you are a special student and be very welcoming and supportive."

"That's good to know. You've certainly made me feel better about going to Hogwarts, Dr. Fredericks," said Hermione. "Thanks a lot for seeing me today, not to mention last September and last March."

"You've reduced my anxiety level a lot also, Don," said Harriet. "Thanks very much for making time to talk with Hermione today."

"It's been my pleasure," the doctor assured her. "Do keep me informed of how Hermione is doing at Hogwarts. And, Hermione, please feel free to send me an owl if there is anything I can do to help you."

"Thanks, Don," said Alfred. "You've been a great help to our family. The last year has been quite something, and your wise counsel has made it much easier."

With that, Dr. Fredericks escorted the Grangers to the front door of his office, where they said their goodbyes.

"What a nice man he is!" exclaimed Hermione as they drove home. "He made me feel ever so much better."

"Yes, Don is a wonderful friend, and always has been," agreed Alfred.

"I couldn't agree more," said Harriet.

Two days to go, thought Hermione, as her excitement at leaving for Hogwarts mounted. She had been getting all her books and clothes together in preparation for packing her trunk. Her mother had given her the remaining wizard money so that she would have some spending money, although she was not sure what there would be to spend money on. She already had all her clothes, and meals were included in whatever financial arrangement her parents had made with the school. It was odd, she thought, that the cost of a year at Hogwarts had never been mentioned by Dumbledore or in the letter of admission from the school. Oh, well, she thought, I just won't worry about that. That's one thing I can count on my parents to take care of.

Her mum was helping her pack her trunk. "Put the heaviest things on the bottom, so that they won't crush the lighter things," Harriet advised her daughter. "Fold your robes and your other clothes carefully. Smooth out all the wrinkles. You don't want to look like a mess on your first day at Hogwarts."

"Yes, Mum," said Hermione, as she tried her best to follow her mother's instructions. As much as she hated to admit it, she expected that she would miss her mother's nagging, at least a little bit.

"Leave some room for last-minute items, now," Harriet went on. "You may think of something tomorrow or Sunday morning that you need."

"Okay," promised Hermione.

Soon she had packed as much as she could. The books had gone in first, followed by the potion-making equipment. Her shoes were next, then her Muggle clothes, and finally her new robes and cloak. She planned to leave out the clothes that she would wear to King's Cross Station, and she would pack her toothbrush and toothpaste on Monday morning. Her parents would both make sure of that! The telescope had its own case, so it would not need to be packed with Hermione's other belongings.

"Whew, I'm glad that's done!" Hermione said, to no one in particular.

On Saturday, her last full day in the Muggle world until Christmas, she had planned to get together with Susie at Susie's house. She didn't want Susie coming to her house because she was afraid Susie might want to see what she was taking to America. Susie might even want to see her ticket, since Susie still thought that she was going to spend the year with her grandparents. How would she explain the contents of her trunk? She couldn't, and she couldn't do a memory modification charm yet, either, so she had to keep Susie from visiting her.

Around 10 o'clock that morning Alfred Granger drove his daughter to visit her friend. "See you in three hours," he promised, as Hermione got out of the car and walked up the path to the Adams' front door.

Susie opened the door and Hermione entered the house. The two girls headed for Susie's room.

"Thanks for inviting me over," said Hermione, sitting on the bed. "When are you leaving for Pembury?"

"Next Sunday — a week from tomorrow," Susie answered, as she sat down at her desk. "And you're leaving for the U.S. tomorrow? I can't believe it!"

"Yes, it _is_ hard to believe," agree Hermione, feeling a bit uncomfortable at continuing to deceive her best friend. She hoped that one day she would be able to tell Susie all about the magical world, perhaps show her some magic, and even confess how she had repaired Susie's glass cat.

"Are you taking your telescope?" Susie inquired.

"Of course!" Hermione stated emphatically. "It's my most prized possession. Remember last Christmas, when we saw the Martian polar ice cap and the craters on the Moon?"

"I sure do!" exclaimed Susie. "Copernicus and Tycho, weren't they?"

"Yes, that's right. We've had a lot of fun with that scope. Do they have an observatory at Pembury?"

"Maybe," said Susie. "I know they teach astronomy and have telescopes for the students to use."

"That should be fun," said Hermione.

"I'll miss talking with you about science, Hermione. I really will," said Susie, her eyes bright. "You were the only one, beside Mr. Flaska, of course, who didn't think I was weird for being interested in atoms and stars and electricity and everything."

"And you were the only one who didn't tease me for always raising my hand in class when the teacher asked a question," said Hermione.

"That's because I always learned something from what you said," Susie explained.

"And you always made me think harder because you always asked interesting questions," replied Hermione.

"You girls made quite a team!" said Susie's mother, sticking her head in the door. "Mr. Flaska told me at the last parent-teacher meeting that he had a hard time keeping up with you two. He really seemed to enjoy your being in his class."

"Mr. Flaska was our favorite teacher," said Susie.

"He was the best," agreed Hermione. "He could even get the dunderheads in class interested sometimes, like when he explained plant ecology in terms of ground and aerial warfare."

"Yeah. The gamers really liked that lesson, too," said Susie.

"Would you girls like some lunch?" asked Mrs. Adams.

"I sure would!" replied Susie. "How about you, Hermione?"

"Lunch would be great, Mrs. Adams," said Hermione. "Can we help you make it?"

"You're very thoughtful to offer, Hermione," said Mrs. Adams. "Why don't you girls set the table for four? Mr. Adams will be joining us, if he gets to a stopping point in his workshop."

The two girls followed Mrs. Adams, a plump woman with wavy brown hair, into the kitchen and began to set the table. In a few minutes Mrs. Adams had put out bread, lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, and sliced turkey for sandwiches.

"If you're going to America, you'd better get used to making sandwiches, Hermione," said Mrs. Adams. "Is that all they eat over there?"

"No!" answered Hermione, smiling. "They eat pizza and tacos and hamburgers, too. And calamari sometimes."

"You'll have to tell us all about the States when you get back. Will you be coming home for Christmas?" asked Mrs. Adams.

"Yes, that's the plan, Mrs. Adams," said Hermione. "Christmas seems like a long time from now."

"Christmas? Who's talking about Christmas? It's still August!" said Mr. Adams as he entered the kitchen from the door to the basement, where his workshop was.

"Hermione was just saying that she would be coming home at Christmas from visiting her grandparents in the U.S.," Mrs. Adams answered her husband.

"Where in the States do your grandparents live," Mr. Adams asked Hermione.

"In Chicago," Hermione replied. "I'm sure they'll have snow and I can make a snowman with my cousins."

"Chicago is pretty cold in the winter, I hear. Don't they call it the Windy City?" asked Mr. Adams.

"Yes, that's right, but they say it's not too bad if you're dressed warmly, with plenty of layers and good mittens," Hermione said. "I think I'll manage."

She felt it would be a good idea to change the subject, so she said "Are you looking forward to going to Pembury, Susie?"

"Yes! Kent College Pembury is a really good school. Well, you know that, since you applied and were accepted there," said Susie.

"Yes, it's a fine school. I wish I could be going with you," said Hermione, wistfully.

"We'll have to keep in touch," said Susie. "Will you write to me?"

"Of course — if you promise to write back," said Hermione.

Hermione realized immediately that it would be a challenge to correspond with Susie by letter. How would she get a letter from Hogwarts to Susie by way of America, with a U.S. postmark? Electronic mail would be even harder, since she had read that electronics didn't work inside Hogwarts castle. She knew that she should have thought of this problem sooner. Maybe she could use magic to fake postmarks. Maybe she could even get some help from the wizards in the postal service to route Susie's letters to Hogwarts and get her letters with their bogus postmarks to Susie at Kent College Pembury. Now she was getting worried again.

"Hermione? Hermione!" said Susie loudly. "Where did you disappear to? Were you off somewhere inside your head again?"

"Oh, sorry, Susie," she said. "I was just thinking about our being apart after so many years of being best friends."

The Adamses and Hermione finished their lunch without any further disturbing realizations, for which Hermione was grateful. The two girls then went back to Susie's room and listened to music on Susie's boom box until Mr. Adams knocked on Susie's door to tell Hermione that her dad was there to pick her up.

Realizing that they would not see each other for months, the two girls gave each other a big hug and the broke apart, their eyes glistening and their lips trembling.

Seeing their distress, Mr. Adams said, "It will be Christmas before you know it, and the Dream Team will be together again. Goodbye and bon voyage, Hermione."

"Goodbye!" the girls wailed to each other, and Hermione ran out the door and hopped quickly into her father's car.

"It's tough to say goodbye, isn't it, sweetheart?" her father said softly.

"It sure is," said Hermione, struggling to control her sorrow at being separated from Susie.

Hermione had a hard time going to sleep that night, overcome with sadness at leaving her friends and family. Eventually she fell asleep and slept soundly until awoken by her father.

"Rise and shine, Miss Magic! Breakfast in ten minutes!" Alfred Granger shouted through Hermione's bedroom door early on the morning of September 1. Alfred had already loaded Hermione's trunk and telescope case into the car, making sure that the family would be ready to leave for King's Cross Station at 9:30. He didn't want to take any chances with Hermione missing the Hogwarts Express at 11, so he had started cinnamon buns heating in the oven and coffee brewing in the Mr. Coffee, and he was now cutting up a couple of grapefruits. When everyone was in the kitchen, he planned to poach three eggs for the family to share on Hermione's last day at home for almost four months.

Alfred went back into their bedroom to see why Harriet had not come into the kitchen to help him with breakfast. "You'd better get up, Harriet," he told his wife. "We have to leave for King's Cross in an hour."

Harriet Granger was having some trouble getting started. She was lying in bed, feeling dejected and exhausted, having tossed and turned much of the night, worrying about what lay ahead for Hermione at Hogwarts. She smiled weakly at Alfred and said, "I don't know how you can be so cheerful. Hermione is about to jump off a cliff and you're just puttering around the house as if nothing were wrong."

Alfred sat down on the bed next to his wife and put his arms around her. "I know you had a rough night, honey, but I really do think we've made the right decision for Hermione. Talking with Don helped convince me that the potential benefits of a year at Hogwarts outweigh the possible drawbacks, and Don appears to have calmed Hermione down as well. She seems to be looking forward to the next year with more excitement and less dread. You can't say she isn't well prepared."

"You're probably right, but I'm still worried about her, Alfred," Harriet said miserably.

"Of course you are," said Alfred consolingly. "I'm a little worried myself. I just think that, all things considered, it's best that she explore this newly-discovered part of herself in an environment that can nurture and guide her."

"I know it's probably best that she go, and I expect things will work out just fine," replied Harriet. "Still...Oh, Alfred, I'm going to miss her so!" Tears were streaming down Harriet's face now.

Alfred rocked her for a few moments, then said, "Maybe getting up and embracing the moment will help you feel better. I could use some help in the kitchen. You don't want the buns to burn, do you?"

Harriet smiled again and began, slowly, to force herself to get up and get dressed. Alfred headed back toward the kitchen. Hermione was just coming out of her room, dressed in jeans and a wooly sweater, ready to go.

"Good morning, Dad! I can hardly believe we'll be leaving for the station in less than an hour," Hermione said, her anticipation of the new adventure mounting by the minute. "I smell cinnamon buns! Will they be ready soon?"

"Yep," said her father. "Go start on your grapefruit while your mother is getting dressed."

Alfred and Hermione were just finishing their grapefruits when Harriet came into the kitchen.

"I see you two were too hungry to wait for a straggler," she said. After a moment's pause she added, "Thanks for fixing breakfast, Alfred."

"No problem. I was already awake and needed something to do to keep my mind off Hermione's leaving us," her husband replied, as he got up to start the eggs poaching.

The cinnamon buns were soon ready, and the little family sat at their places, quietly enjoying their last meal together.

"You've got some sugar on your nose, Hermione," observed Harriet. "Can you feel it? It's just there," she said, pointing at the white goo.

Hermione wiped her nose with her napkin. "Did I get it?" she asked her mother, who nodded affirmatively.

"The eggs are ready," said Alfred. "Are you two ready for yours?"

"Sure thing," said Harriet. "Tossing and turning all night gives one quite an appetite."

The clock on the wall showed 9:15 when Hermione finished the last of her egg and drank the rest of her milk. "It's almost time to go!" she said, jumping up from her chair. "I've got to brush my teeth," she said, hurrying from the room.

"See how well we've trained her to look after herself, Harriet?" mused Alfred. "I think she's going to be just fine."

"I can't deny I'm proud of Hermione," responded Harriet, "and I do expect her to do well. I just hope she won't let the pressures of school work get to her. At least she won't be trying to study the courses of two schools at once."

"Good point!" said Alfred, grinning.

Hermione re-entered the kitchen, clutching her toothbrush, toothpaste, and hair brush. "Where can I put these? I left room in my trunk for them."

"Just put them in your carry-on bag, honey," said her mother. "You did put one set of robes in your bag last night, didn't you?"

"Yes," replied Hermione, "and I'll just add this other stuff now." She picked up the bag, which was lying next to the door that led to the garage, and placed the three items inside.

"Time to go!" said Alfred.

They all put on their coats for the trip to King's Cross Station, went out the door to the garage, piled into the car, and were soon on their way.

The Grangers arrived at King's Cross Station about 10:15. Alfred got Hermione's trunk and telescope case out of the boot of the car and put them onto a cart that had been abandoned nearby, made sure that Hermione had her carry-on, then drove across the street to St. Pancras Station to look for a parking place. Harriet and Hermione decided to wait for him to return, since they had plenty of time and did not want to get separated, especially not today. They found a map of the station and quickly located the platform for tracks 9 and 10 on it.

Alfred returned about five minutes later. "A chap was pulling out of a place just as I arrived, so I didn't have to drive around looking for a spot. Tell me again how we get onto Platform 9 3/4."

"The letter from Hogwarts said to get onto the platform for tracks 9 and 10, then walk straight through the wall under the stairs that lead up and over the tracks," said Hermione. "Since you're Muggles, you'll have to hold my hands in order to get through the barrier. Someone on Platform 9 3/4 will help you get back through the barrier after the train leaves."

"How weird!" said Harriet. "I'll have to experience this to believe it. Just don't let go of my hand while we're surrounded by bricks, Hermione!"

Mother and daughter led the way into the station, with Alfred pushing the luggage cart behind them. When they arrived on the platform for tracks 9 and 10, they soon found a set of stairs leading up to a walkway that went over to track 11 on one side and into the main part of the station on the other side.

"The barrier must be under those stairs," said Alfred. "Let's investigate. We still have about 30 minutes before the train leaves."

Just then a voice called out, "Hermione! Hermione!" It was Eric Barker.

"Hi, Eric!" replied Hermione. "I was hoping to see you this morning. Isn't it exciting! Are you nervous?"

"Nah," said Eric. "If my brother can do well, so can I!"

"Mum and Dad, you've both met Eric," said Hermione.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Granger," said Eric. "My parents will be here soon with my trunk. My brother and I ran ahead to scout the route. My brother has already gone through the barrier."

"Here they come now, Eric," said Alfred. "Tom! Bea! Over here!"

When they were closer, Alfred said, "Harriet, I'd like you to meet Eric's parents, Tom and Bea Barker. I told you about them after my trip with Hermione to Diagon Alley in June."

"Pleased to meet you both," said Harriet, smiling.

"We were just wondering whether we would be able to get through the barrier separating us from Platform 9 3/4," Alfred informed the Barkers.

"That's easy, even for Muggles. Just hold onto Hermione as you approach the barrier," said Mrs. Barker.

"All right, let's give it a go, then," said Alfred. He took hold of Hermione's right hand with his left and got a firm grip on the luggage cart with his right hand. Harriet took Hermione's left hand in her right.

"I'll push the luggage cart ahead of us, just in case there's a problem," said Alfred.

"You'll do fine," said Tom Barker, looking around for his other son.

Alfred started pushing the cart toward the barrier, pulling Hermione and Harriet after him. Just when Alfred was sure the cart was going to bump into the wall, it began to disappear, first the front end and then the rest of the cart.

Soon Alfred was able to see the cart again and he realized that he was through the barrier. He had not felt so strange since he had dived into Dumbledore's memory book.

A moment later, Hermione emerged from the barrier, following quickly by Harriet and the Barkers.

"Amazing!" exclaimed Harriet.

"There's the Hogwarts Express!," exclaimed Hermione, who let go of her parents hands and joined Eric in running along the platform beside the gleaming scarlet engine and its string of cars.

"Luggage over here! Have your tickets ready for inspection!" a man in uniform shouted from his position near the doors of the baggage car.

Alfred wheeled Hermione's trunk and telescope case toward the man. Harriet got Hermione's ticket out of the carry-on that Hermione had thrust into her hands before she ran off with Eric.

It took just a minute for Hermione's luggage to be stowed safely in the baggage car. When that was accomplished, Alfred and Harriet began to look around for Hermione. Soon the excited girl and her friend returned, out of breath but clearly eager to be going on their new adventure.

"All aboard!" shouted the conductoor from the door to one of the cars.

"It's time for you to get on the train, Hermione," said her father. "Give me a hug, would you? I'll miss you, sweetheart, but I know you'll do just fine."

"I'll miss you, too, Dad!" said Hermione, hugging her father tightly, then turning toward her mother.

"Mum, I know my leaving has been hard on you, but you've been really great! I feel so lucky to have such a supportive family," said Hermione, choking back tears. "I'll write you every week, I promise!"

Harriet pulled Hermione into a soft but firm embrace that only a mother could perform, with a promise of love lasting forever. Hermione returned the hug, then broke away, her eyes sparkling.

"Goodbye, darling," Harriet said, struggling to keep her own composure. "I love you so much and am prouder of you than I can say. Now don't forget your carry-on," which she handed back to her daughter.

Giving her mother a watery smile, Hermione turned away from her parents, hurried to the door of the nearest coach, and disappeared inside.

"That was hard!" said Harriet, tears now streaming down her face.

"It sure was," replied Alfred, his own eyes moistening. "Let's wait a bit. Maybe she'll be able to wave to us as the train pulls out. Then we can go home and wait for her first letter. It's going to be a long week."

As Hermione entered the train car, she looked around for Eric. A moment later he appeared in the door she had just entered.

"We're heading for Hogwarts at last!" he said. "Let's find a seat."

The two of them made their way through the narrow aisles of the cars until they found a compartment in which a round-faced boy and three girls, one a blonde, the other two brunettes, were getting settled. They all looked about the same age as Hermione and Eric.

"Mind if we join you?" Eric asked the four occupants of the compartment.

"Not at all," said the round-faced boy.

"Come on in," said one of the girls, whose friends nodded in approval.

"I'm Eric Barker and this is Hermione Granger," Eric informed the group.

"I'm Lavender Brown and these are the Patil twins, Parvati and Padma," said the blonde girl.

"And I'm Neville Longbottom," stammered the round-faced boy, "and this is my toad, Trevor."

"Pleased to meet you all," said Hermione with a smile. "You, too, Trevor."

"Are you all going for your first year also?" asked Eric.

"Yes," replied the other four.

"What houses do you want to get into?" asked Eric.

"Most people want to get into Gryffindor or Ravenclaw," said Lavender, "since that's where the bravest and the smartest go. If you're really nasty, you may get picked for Slytherin. None-of-the-aboves are sorted into Hufflepuff."

"Don't you have to be a hard worker to get into Hufflepuff?" asked the round-faced boy, timidly. "I think I might be in Hufflepuff."

"Maybe you're right, Neville," said Lavender, dismissively. "I want to get into Gryffindor. I hear that Professor Dumbledore himself was in Gryffindor."

"We want to be in the same house," said Parvati.

"Yes, since we're identical twins, we should definitely be in the same house," said Padma.

"Gryffindor," said Parvati.

"No, Ravenclaw," said Padma.

"Something's got to give," observed Eric.

"I read about the sorting in _Hogwarts: A History_," said Hermione. "The four founders of Hogwarts needed a way to pick the students who exemplified their own values, so they bewitched Godric Gryffindor's hat to make the decisions for them. Each year at the start-of-term feast the Sorting Hat is placed on the head of each first-year student and assigns him or her to one of the four houses."

"Does the hat ever make a mistake?" asked Neville.

"Not that I've ever heard of," said Eric.

Just then the train gave a lurch and began to move along the platform.

Hermione jumped up and ran to the window, looking frantically for her parents. She quickly spotted them and began to shout and wave. At last her mum and dad saw her and waved back, shouting words that she could not hear over the noise of the train and the crowd. Soon they had disappeared from sight. Hermione sighed and returned to her seat, hoping that she would not be homesick.

The others went back to their seats also. For a while they all sat in silence, dealing with the various emotions of leaving family and friends behind.

Hermione decided that if she was going to avoid homesickness she had better jump into her new life with both feet. "I'm going to change into my Hogwarts robes," she announced, as she grabbed the robe she had packed in her carry-on and headed out the door in search of a lavatory. In a few minutes she was back in the compartment, looking just like the young witches she had seen in her books. This thought reminded her that she had brought _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ to read on her journey, so she got that book out of her carry-on and stuffed her Muggle clothes into the bag.

Hermione had been reading for a while when Neville suddenly jumped up in alarm. "Trevor! Where's Trevor?" he screamed.

The other five kids all got up and helped Neville look under their seats, in the overhead racks, and anywhere else a freedom-seeking toad might hide. Trevor was nowhere to be found.

"Oh, no!" said Neville. "The compartment door is open. Trevor could be anywhere! If I lose him, my gran is going to kill me!"

"Let's ask the people in the other compartments if they've seen Trevor," suggested Hermione. The others agreed.

Hermione, Eric, and Neville went to the left, the others to the right. Hermione knocked on the first door they came to and went in, while Eric and Neville went on to the other doors. Hermione and the kids in the compartment looked high and low, but there was no sign of the escaped toad, so Hermione went back into the corridor. Neville had just emerged from another compartment, as had Eric.

"No luck, I guess?" asked Hermione.

"No luck!" the two boys answered.

"Did you search those other compartments or just ask if they'd seen Trevor?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, of course," said Eric.

"No," murmured Neville.

"Then we'll have to go back there," said Hermione.

Neville led the way back to the compartment he had visited briefly and opened the door, revealing a long-nosed, gangly, red-headed boy with freckles and a boy with glasses, untidy black hair, and startlingly green eyes. The compartment was a mess, with candy wrappers and the remains of half-eaten food lying around. The red-headed boy was holding a rat and scowling at them. The other boy looked pleasant enough, though.

Hermione stepped past Neville and said, "Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one." Ignoring the red-headed boy's response, she saw that he had his wand out. Eager to get into magic herself, she swiftly changed objectives and said, "Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."

And so began the next phase of her life in the magical world.


End file.
